Lockdown
by LeSlytherinPhoenix
Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley.
1. Prologue

**Hey, everyone.. This is my first Glee fanfiction in a while. I'm a huge Karley shipper, which should be fairly obvious. **

**This fic will be skipping around a bit in time, so make sure you know when a chapter is taking place.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I don't own anything I may mention in this. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

**TWO DAYS AFTER **

The uniformed man in front of her cleared his throat slightly, his eyes alight with the prospect of her story. "Where were you stuck, Miss Rose?" He asked, his eyes bright with false sympathy. Marley sighed and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face, her features ashen and tired.

"I was in the choir room," she said, her voice sounding surprisingly frail and weak. "I was stuck in the choir room, isn't that all you want to hear?"

The man made careful note of her statement on a big, white, official looking pad. He looked back up again, seemingly peeved. "Miss Rose, we're going to need you to cooperate," he said, his voice unforgiving and unrelenting.

Marley sighed slightly, her shoulders rounding slightly and her expression miserable. "Alright," she said, and the man seemed pleased. His pen made scratching noises on the notepad, and Marley vaguely wondered what he was writing about her. On second thought, she didn't really want to know.

She looked to the side as he continued to write, and when the scratching noises finally stopped, she looked back at him. "What time did it start, approximately?"

"I-I don't know," Marley said, and as much as she searched her mind for the correct answer, she couldn't find it. "I really don't know. Ten, about?" Her voice cracked slightly.

The man wrote a figure down without comment. "Had you ever been in the choir room before?" He asked. Marley rolled her eyes. He hadn't done any of his research.

"I had glee practice there a lot," she said, and her voice cracked again without warning. _Glee. _What would happen, now that, now that—she looked to the side, frantically trying to avoid crying. She couldn't cry now. She had spent her supply of tears already.

"And the girl who was with you—"

"Kitty Wilde," Marley said, her voice taking on a sharp edge. She had a name. He was going to use it.

"Right. Miss Wilde," the man corrected himself, and Marley rolled her eyes. "Was she in the choir room as well?"

"Yes." Marley said without hesitation. "She was in Glee with me."

"So you two knew each other?" The man asked.

"Yes." Marley said, her stomach twisting slightly.

"How well did you know each other?" He leaned forward in his seat slightly, obviously interested.

"Not well, really." Marley shrugged, turning to the side. "I-She hated me."

"So you weren't friends?" The man asked, sitting back and tapping his pen against the block.

"I-I don't know," Marley said, her voice growing smaller.

"How do you not know, Miss Rose?" The man asked, his voice growing stronger as Marley's grew softer.

"I just don't know!" Marley nearly shrieked, crossing her arms and looking upset.

The man scoffed slightly and uncapped his pen, writing down some notes on the block. Marley's looked down at her knees, worried. "Calm down, Miss Rose," the man said, his voice muffled slightly by his leaning down.

Marley nodded slightly, still visibly upset. She didn't care anymore. She just wanted to get this over with, get this over with and go home. Or to sleep, at least. Home was far away right now, far away and useless.

"Do you have any idea why you were stuck where you were?"

Marley rolled her eyes. Why did they need all of these details? "I don't know," she said again, feeling lame. "Fate, I guess? Luck?"

The man scoffed again but nodded, making note of her remarks on her clipboard. "I see," he said, his voice monotone.

_What do you see? _Marley wanted to shriek, but she restrained herself. There was no use in angering this man. He was just doing his job… she sighed.

"Were you alone in the choir room for most of it?" He asked. Marley inhaled sharply and tried to remember, her head pounding vigorously.

"No." She said suddenly. "I-I wasn't. She was there with me from the beginning."

The man nodded. "Was Glee going on at the time, or was it pure coincidence that you two ended up together?"

"It was during a passing period," she said, her entire body aching.

The man in the uniform pursed his lips slightly. "Alright." He reached next to him and shut a tape recorder off, a tape recorder that Marley hadn't even realized he was using. She took a deep breath and sighed slightly, fidgeting with the edge of her hospital gown. "That'll be all for today, Miss Rose."

She looked up at him with an almost fearful expression. "That's all for _today_?" She asked, her voice pleading.

"Yes." The man stood up and brushed his hand against his slacks, looking at her with an expression of near pity in his eyes. "There's a lot we need to find out about this situation, Miss Rose, and you're just another puzzle piece. We need to figure this out, and a few questions aren't enough."

Marley nodded meekly and shook his hand, not quite looking him in the eye. He left the room, the door flinging closed with a resounding crash.

A puzzle piece. That was what the man had referred to her as, that was all she was. She grimaced slightly and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Was she really nothing but a puzzle piece, a mere tool in figuring out what a useless, terrible person had done this?

She wasn't even angry at the man himself. She knew that he had been interviewing mentally unstable McKinley kids for two days straight. He was probably tired. Hell, he was probably exhausted, but then again, so was she.

She closed her eyes, her heartbeat thudding miserably against her eyelids. She massaged her temples lightly, wishing her mother was there. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as she remembered her mother and forced the thought from her mind.

Her thoughts drifted into another direction, then another, then another. Nothing was going to be the same anymore, and Marley had both the emotional and the physical scars to prove that.

Her head felt heavy, and when her nurse came around with her evening dose of pain medication, Marley accepted it without complaint. The first time she had been administered it, she had refused outright, claiming she didn't need it. But now, the girl accepted it willingly and gladly, hoping to drown out the pain, drown out everything.

Her head gradually ceased pounding, but the pain was still there. At least the emotional one, but the toll it was taking on her body was worse than the actual physical pain. She shifted uncomfortably in her bed, the harsh fabric grating against her skin.

Marley Rose was spent. She was tired.

Her eyes flickered open one last time, and then they snapped shut and she fell into an uneasy sleep.

She dreamt of the choir room.


	2. Chapter One

**The first proper chapter of the story. Hearts to all of the followers/favoriters. Thanks to all.**

**Because I have no life, and all of your reviews were SO sweet, I've decide to update again today. Yes, I love you very much. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

**SHOOTING DAY**

**9:57 A.M.**

Marley grimaced and swung her long brown hair over her shoulder, gripping her bag tightly, the strap cutting into her shoulder. She checked the clock hanging on the wall and cursed quietly, rushing towards her next class.

Yep, she was most certainly going to be late.

It was 9:57 A.M. Class had started at 9:55 A.M. The gunshots, according to several witness reports and a security camera, started at 9:58.

Marley's stomach froze and her blood turned to ice. She turned around in horror. She only heard the tinkling of glass against the cold, hard floor, and her mind was occupied, invaded by one thought only:

Run.

So Marley Rose followed her basic human instinct and ran for her life.

She had to get somewhere. She had to get somewhere safe. No, not a bathroom. She couldn't lock one of those. She tried a classroom door and found it locked. "Damn," she hissed under breath, and rattled at the door.

More gunshots. Screams. Thuds of a body.

Choking for air, she abandoned all grace and pretenses and ran blindly for some shelter. Complete and utter panic took over her system, her heart thudding in her ears and her stomach twisting horribly as she contemplated her fate.

She looked around for some kind of escape, desperate not to be standing out there in the open. Her heart still pounding, she stopped in the middle of the hall and stared in blank horror.

"What the hell are you doing?" A random football player yelled at her, and Marley unfroze. More gunshots. A scream.

She turned on her heel and continued down the hall, rattling doorknobs left and right. But every single one was locked, and when she finally pounded on one of the doors, begging to be let in, no one came.

She reached the choir room and flung herself against the door, sighing a heavy sigh of relief when it swung open. She collapsed inside the choir room, letting the door bang shut behind her.

It was empty. She locked the door quickly, thankful for the fact that Finn told them where he did his key. She threw herself into one of the chairs, shaking violently and feeling downright miserable.

More gunshots. A bang. The sound of glass falling to the floor, someone crying hysterically. How many were dead? How many injured? She didn't know. Part of her didn't even want to know.

Her stomach dropped when she thought of something she hadn't even thought about before. Her mother. What was of her? It wasn't her shift, per se, but she often worked overtime in hopes to stretch the money a bit further. Marley instantly felt sick to her stomach at the prospect of having forgotten her _mother, _and she firmly wiped away a single tear that trickled down her cheek.

She was so selfish. She should've gone and taken care of her mother first before worrying about herself. She buried her face in her hands and sighed deeply, running her fingers through her hair.

She started when someone began to bang on the door. "Who is it?" She called out, before realizing how immensely stupid that was. _Never alert anyone to your presence, _all of the survival handbooks stated, and now she had just broadcasted her location.

"Open the door!" Came an impatient cry from the other side, and Marley furrowed her brow in confusion. She knew that that voice.

"Kitty?" She said cautiously, sliding off of the chair and stepping towards the wooden door. "Is that you?"

"Yes, now open it," Kitty said from the other side of the door, desperation creeping into her voice, although Kitty would never admit it.

Marley's hands found the key and fumbled clumsily with the lock. It finally clicked into place. Marley thrust the door open to reveal a wide eyed-Kitty, who nearly leapt through the door, breathing heavily and collapsing on a chair. The door closed loudly behind her.

"Are you alright?" Marley said, stepping towards her and trying to keep her voice down. Another gunshot echoed through the hall, and Marley shrank together, feeling her stomach twist and convulse. Kitty, however, seemed unfazed.

"I'm fine," Kitty spat out after the noise had gone. Marley stayed silent and stared at her with a worried expression, finally crossing over and sitting down a few chairs away from her.

"Do you know what's going on?" Marley asked after a few seconds of silence. Kitty shrugged and looked away, saying nothing.

"Lock the damn door," Kitty said after a few seconds of silence, and Marley slid quietly off of her chair and did so, the lock sliding into place with a dull and ominous _click. _She was hopelessly trapped, locked in the one place that had given her some degree of happiness, with her worst enemy.

Well, not her worst enemy perhaps, but certainly close enough.

Marley's eyes flickered around the room nervously as if looking for some kind of threat, her mind instantly zeroing in on the large glass panel by the door. "Kitty," she said in a forced whisper, and the blonde girl still sitting with her arms crossed looked over to her, her expression carefully blank. "We need to get away from the window," Marley continued, motioning towards the glass behind her.

Kitty's eyes flew wide open for a split second, panic flickering in her expression. Marley stared at her with a grim expression. Kitty nodded once, then got off the chair quickly and strode over to a far corner of the room, sitting down and staying silent.

Sighing quietly, Marley crossed over to the other girl, sitting down next to her. Their proximity was slightly uncomfortable, but Marley ignored it. They had to survive.

It became silent, the only sounds that surrounded them the occasional bang of a gunshot, scattered screams, loud sobbing. It was a gruesome orchestra, and Marley didn't even want to think about exactly what was going on. So instead, she concentrated sounds closest to her, the incessant ticking of a clock, on Kitty's shallow breathing that was useless but reminded Marley that she was still alive, that they were both still alive, and on the beating of her own heart, pounding madly as she tried to escape whichever reality she had found herself trapped in.

"How long has this been going on?" She found herself whispering, and Kitty turned to her, brushing back a stray strand of hair with her fingers.

"I don't know," Kitty said, and for the first time, it seemed like she had a soul. Marley turned towards the clock on the wall, the ticking slowly beginning to drive her insane. '6:24', it said, but that was impossible. She vaguely remembered Jake and Ryder standing on a chair and screwing around with the hour hand, and she rolled her eyes. _Damn boys. _"I think it's been a while," Kitty said, her voice soft. Marley nodded, turning her head to the side.

Time went on, and it felt infinite. It could have been hours, minutes, mere seconds, but time went on and on, the occasional shrieking cry being heard. But the rest of the school was silent, holding their breaths, waiting, waiting.

"Where were you when it started?" Kitty asked, and Marley's head jerked around to meet the other girl's eyes.

"I-I was late to class," she said, remembering the last moments of peace she had had for what was probably going to be a very long time.

Kitty nodded. "I had just finished Cheerios practice," she said, her voice surprisingly monotone. Marley said nothing. It seemed like she had more to say. "The shots were so close, and I ran." She took a deep, shuddering breath, and Marley felt a small stab of pity for the smaller girl.

"Do you know if anyone has," Marley's voice faltered, and she felt like she couldn't go on. "Died?" she finally brought out, the word tumbling from her lips in a display of uncertainty.

"How the hell would I know?" Kitty said, her voice full of venom. Marley shrank back meekly, the tone all too familiar.

"Sorry," she began to say, but Kitty cut her off.

"There's blood on the window," Kitty said, her voice harsh and grating but nonetheless a bit softer.

"What?" Marley said, her stomach dropping in nausea.

"There," Kitty whispered and pointed to the window, where specks of blood clearly shone against the polished glass.

Marley felt her stomach twisting and contorting furiously, and held back a racking sob that somehow still escaped. "Oh my god," she whispered, staring at the small, gruesome flecks of someone's life. "Oh, god."

She felt the presence of a hand on her shoulder and her heart kicked into overdrive. She buried her face in her hands and looked back up again, the marks still firmly blazed into her mind.

Maybe this was a nightmare. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe if she closed her eyes, it would all go away. But Marley Rose's eyes were open, and this wasn't a nightmare. It wasn't a prank, or a joke. This was real life, bitter reality, and there was no escape from it, no matter how hard she tried.

This was it.


	3. Chapter Two

**Second official chapter! This will give you more of a back-story of my Glee-verse for this fic. I know several of you were complaining about an unresolved cliffhanger. Whoops. **

**Thanks to all the reviews, favorites, and alerts! I love and appreciate all of you!**

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

**THE DAY BEFORE**

Marley Rose slammed her locker shut, reveling slightly in the harsh, grating noise of metal against metal. Life hadn't exactly been easy since Glee club got cancelled, and now she had to live with the fact that she was a loser and nothing more. Not that she could ever forget that, of course, with Kitty and the other cheerleaders and jocks constantly reminding her of that fact.

Things had slowly returned to normal after the Sectionals loss. The New Directions had ceased to exist, and the social pecking order had gradually become normal again. Marley was still bullied every day, and she considered herself to be lucky if she wasn't doused in the unpleasant sticky syrup that only an optimist could call a slushy.

She shouldered her bookbag and walked to Math class, smiling slightly as she thought of the prospect of sitting in her favorite class. Her optimism was doused, however, in a giant dose of freezing, icy liquid, the food coloring dripping onto her clothes.

She felt a single tear start to trickle down her eye, accompanied by the jock's cruel taunting. "That's from Kitty, whale!" He shouted, and she shook her head firmly, willing herself not to sob. She ran into the nearest girls' bathroom.

Getting a slushy out was tedious and difficult work, and now she was going to be late to Math. _Again. _She didn't know why Kitty still hated her. After all, Jake and her were no longer an item. Marley grimaced slightly as she remembered the pictures of him making out with that freshman girl, plastered all over Facebook and Instagram. She had been the last person to find out, of course, and find out she did, with a cruel and matter-of-fact statement that left her eyes watering and her heart broken.

She missed being in the New Directions. She missed the New Directions so much, every single one of them. Even Kitty, even Tina, and even those kids that she had never really spoken to. They had been her single source of comfort in the hell that was high school, they had been her dream. And now the dream was over, and she was staring shell-shocked at her bedroom ceiling and wondering if there was a way to make the dream true again.

Sighing quietly, she washed the rest of the slushy out of her hair, the food coloring drifting down the pipe aided by water. Her hair looked washed-out and matted, and her clothes certainly weren't very helped by the slushy. She shook her head quietly, trying hard not to cry.

A random junior girl sashayed into the bathroom, her hair and makeup carefully done up. She shot Marley a single disapproving look and walked into the nearest stall, closing the lock with a click.

Marley left the bathroom, a slight shiver already beginning to creep into her veins. She was cold, slushies were cold—it was certainly one of the more unpleasant forms of abuse she had encountered, Marley mused silently.

She headed back towards her locker, thankful for the longer passing period. She wouldn't be horrifically late, at least. Just late enough to draw attention to herself. She slunk into Math class, her head bowed and her shoulders rounded slightly as if doing so would make her invisible.

Wallflower, indeed. Woman Fierce? Not so much.

"Miss Rose," the teacher's stern voice jerked her out of her thoughts. "Please sit down, this is the third time you've been late this month."

"Mr. Grey," she said, looking up at her favorite teacher with a pleading expression, "Please, I got a slushy-"

"Sit down," he repeated, and she obliged sullenly, sliding into the only seat left available in the class, next to Ryder.

She opened her notebook and carefully began to take notes on the binomial theorem, not really caring what it was about. She felt a small tap on her shoulder and turned around, smiling as she realized it was Ryder. He slid a folded square of paper across his desk to her, accompanied by a large, goofy grin. She couldn't help but smile back and unfolded it, taking in his lopsided, careless writing.

_Did u get slushied? _It said, and Marley turned the note over to write him a response.

_Yes, _she wrote, vaguely noting how perfect her handwriting seemed to Ryder's. However, Ryder's writing had improved greatly since he had begun seeing a dyslexia specialist. She was proud of him. _Apparently Kitty's orders, _she added.

She passed the note back to the boy without comment, concentrating instead on the figures Mr. Grey was writing on the board.

A few seconds later, a second square of paper was pressed into her palm, and she opened it again. _Do u want me to kick her ass? _Ryder had written, and although Marley couldn't help but smile, she didn't want him to. It wouldn't solve anything. In fact, it would only make it worse.

_No, it's fine, _Marley wrote and passed the note back. When he received it, he sent her a 'Are you sure?' look, to which she nodded and looked back down at her notebook.

They had remained friends. Or at least she thought so, but he seemed to be rather focused on getting her to date him. Marley was sick of boys though, at least for the moment, so she persistently turned down his requests.

Class ended with a shrill, incessant ring that seemed to rip through Marley's eardrums. She had always hated that bell, though it always came at precisely the correct moment. She sighed and gathered her things together, pushing them into her bag with little thought.

She hated how her life had been reduced to this, to this mere sequence of class to class, school to home, sleeping, eating, and studying, over and over and over again in an endless loop. She didn't have a purpose anymore. Performing had been her purpose. _Glee _had been her purpose.

She walked out of the class, waving goodbye to Mr. Grey, who dismissed her with an eye roll. None of the teachers at this school seemed to understand the situation, it was either 'you were asking for it' or 'we have no proof, it's useless.'

Marley strode to her locker, bracing herself for another cold slushy attack that never came. Looking to the side, she spotted Kitty. She thought for a moment, then swiftly walked over to her.

"Hi, Kitty," she said, smiling slightly breathlessly, hoping that Kitty would understand the figurative olive branch.

"What do you want?" The shorter girl said, rolling her eyes. Marley felt the smile slowly slipping off of her face.

"I-nothing," she said lamely, looking down at the ground, her feet fidgeting.

"Then why are you here?" Kitty said, her voice dry and unforgiving.

"I was wondering why you ordered a slushy for me," Marley said, her voice growing quieter.

"Oh, please," Kitty scoffed and slammed her locker shut, making Marley flinch and her heart start to race. "That's how it _works, _honey. You're at the bottom. I'm at the top." She smiled cruelly, and Marley seemed to recall a time when that smile had been genuine. "Better get used to it."

And as she strode away, another jock came up to Marley, dousing her in another slushy. Marley coughed and sputtered, wiping off the cold liquid from her face.

"Hey, Rose!" Someone shouted, and she turned around, the cold liquid burning in her eyes as well as the tears. "Your momma is so fat, that when she dies, she won't fit into a fucking coffin!" The jock laughed, a sharp, stinging laugh that left pain in Marley's heart. "Y'all gonna have to cremate her!" He taunted, and Marley pushed past him, sobbing.

Damn, how she hated this.


	4. Chapter Three

**Third chapter, coming right on up! All of your reviews are too sweet. Keep em' coming!**

**I'm planning on updating daily for as long as possible. Right now, I've got an outline, and unless something very unexpected forces itself into my mind, this fic will have approximately 13 chapter, minus the prologue and the epilogue. So altogether 15. I've written up to Chapter Four, I think, but finals are this week, so I can't really focus on writing too much. I've been trying to write a chapter a day, and as long as that keeps happening, the updates will keep coming daily. **

**Anyways, enough of my useless ranting. Continue on. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

THREE DAYS AFTER

There was a sharp knocking at the door, and a nurse poked her head in, her smile fake and lip-glossed. "Miss Rose?" She asked, her voice harsh on Marley's ears.

"Yes?" She asked, her voice feeble and tired.

"You have a visitor," she said and smiled briefly. Marley's heart leapt for the fraction of a second. Could it be Kitty? Or Jake? Or her Mom?

Reality came crashing back in an instant when the same uniformed man strode into her room. He was wearing the same uniform as the other day, his hair brown and tousled against his pale skin. "Good morning, Miss Rose," he said, seemingly in a better mood than yesterday.

"Morning," Marley said, her voice listless.

The man sat down in a chair in front of her that she hadn't even noticed and pulled out his tape recorder, clicking it on with his thumb. "Now, Miss Rose, we have some more questions," he said, crossing his legs and retrieving his notepad.

"Alright," Marley said as the nurse pushed her hospital bed up to a seating position.

"I know that some of these questions are repeats from the ones we asked you yesterday, but we want you to answer them as quickly and efficiently as possible, alright?"

"Alright," Marley said again.

"Good." The man seemed pleased and clicked his pen. "Now… what is your name?"

"Marley Rose," Marley said without hesitation. What was the point of this?

"What grade are you in at McKinley high?"

"I'm a sophomore. A tenth grader," she said, playing with a rubber band on her wrist.

"Where were you precisely when the shootings started?"

"It was a passing period," Marley explained, shrugging. Her mind transported her back to that horrific moment, but she banished the thought from her head. Thinking about it would only make her lose it even more. She briefly remembered her breakdown last night. She woke up at about 1 AM in the morning, gasping with tears streaming down her face. It had taken her twenty minutes to stop sobbing, and she hadn't slept again. "I was late to class."

The man nodded and made careful note of this. "Did you follow standard escape procedure?" He asked, his voice carefully monotone.

"What?" Marley asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

The man sighed and rolled his eyes. "Standard escape procedure, Miss Rose. Keep calm, walk, don't run, that sort of thing?"

"Oh," Marley said, tapping her fingers against the hospital blanket. "I-not really," she said, remembering her mad dash through the halls. "But no one was!" She claimed to her defense, watching the man's eyebrows shoot up. The halls had been filled with people running and panicking blindly, with people dashing through the corridors, their footsteps echoing against the concrete.

"Aha," the man said, and Marley felt her temper flare. Let him be in that situation, see how he reacts. He closed his notepad and uncrossed his legs, staring at Marley with a grim expression. "Miss Rose, are you aware of who did the actual shooting?"

"N-no," she said, her heart skipping a beat. Oh, she would love to know who had caused the shooting, who had caused the ruination of her entire life.

"Interesting," the man muttered and wrote something down in his notepad. Marley bit her lip, suddenly nervous. "Do you have any clue who it might be?"

"No," Marley said instantly. "I didn't recognize any of the voices that were talking." _Except for one, _a small voice in her head whispered, but she silenced it.

"Do you have any ideas of their motive?" The man asked, pressing further. Marley crossed her arms in a subtle display of defiance and shook her head.

"I don't even know who they are!" She insisted, but the man simply sat back.

"I asked you if you knew if they had a motive, not who they were, Miss Rose," he said, his voice carefully soft.

"I don't know," Marley said, thinking wildly. "I-Maybe they were bullied?" She hazarded a guess. The man nodded.

"Precisely," he said, his voice clipped. Marley relaxed slightly, but tensed back up again when he continued to speak. "Miss Rose, how long would you say the pauses between the shots were?"

"Not too long," Marley said carefully. "It changed. Sometimes there'd be a few minutes in between, sometimes about twenty. Sometimes it'd just be… like machine gun firing." She put her head in her hands and sighed. There were a few moments where she'd thought there was silence, but then...

"Did you notice anything strange before the shooting began?" The man cleared his throat faintly and looked at her with an inquisitive expression. "Suspicious figures, or anything?"

"No," Marley said, although she herself was not sure. "I don't remember, really. But nothing stood out." The man nodded.

"Miss Rose, have you spoken to any other students upon arriving at the hospital?"

"No," Marley said. Why would she? They never cared for her. "I don't want to."

The man leaned back even further, an expression of genuine sympathy rushing across his features, gone in a second. "Why not? They're your peers, after all."

"It's just.." Marley shifted uncomfortably. "I was never very popular."

"How long have you been at this school?" He asked, now truly curious.

"I came here this year," Marley explained, shrugging. She hated questions. She hated being asked questions. She hated everything.

"Why weren't you very popular?" The man asked, and all false pretenses of sympathy were gone, the only things remaining cold, hard, curiosity.

"My mother was the school lunch lady," she said, her voice reduced to nothing but a mere whisper.

"Ah," the man remarked. "Your…"

"Mother," Marley whispered, finishing the sentence for him. He nodded and looked at the girl, who seemed quite broken. Something in him seemed to snap, and he bowed his head and got out of the chair, turning off the tape recorder.

"Miss Rose?" He said, and Marley looked up at him. "I'm done for today." Marley smiled flatly, though there was no real joy behind it.

"Okay," she said simply.

He held out his hand for her to shake, and she looked at it for a total of about five seconds before raising her own and shaking the man's hand briefly, giving him a curt nod. He nodded at her once, then turned around and walked towards the door, turning around before he reached it. "Oh, and Miss Rose?"

"Yes?" Marley asked, still staring at the spot where he had once sat.

"Please, go talk to someone." It wasn't a plea for his company, for the police. It was a personal plea. Marley looked up at him and nodded once.

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, he opened the door and let it close behind him. Marley sighed and rolled over in bed, feeling yet another headache beginning to pound at her skull. It was useless. It was all useless. She never wanted to talk to another person again. She wasn't worth it.

She shivered and wished for warmth.

Marley closed her eyes and wanted to sleep, to make up for the restless night she had had. She wanted to sleep without the nightmares, without the choir room coming back to haunt her. She wanted to sleep so badly, to sleep and never wake up again.

"I can't do this anymore," she whispered, her voice hoarse and stuck in her throat.

And she couldn't.


	5. Chapter Four

**Hey, everyone! New chapter, this one finally continuing the main storyline. There's some semi-graphic bloody content in this, nothing too bad, I trust you know what you can handle, so if it's too heavy for you, just skip it. **

**I know that a lot of you are probably confused as hell. Most of my stories and stuff are better when you just read them through in one go. You're all going to understand in time. I think.**

**Tumblr is down. Ew. I'm so bored out of my mind right now, it's not even funny. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T **

SHOOTING DAY

11:23 A.M

Silence. For the first time in a while, there was finally silence. Marley sighed quietly and let her head hit the wall, breathing in the quiet calm like it was the nectar of the Gods. Kitty had remained largely quiet, simply staring at the giant clock on the wall or tracing the pattern of the wood with her fingertips. Marley didn't mind. She didn't want to get into a fight with the other girl.

Not when there were more important things at stake than some petty little high school rivalry.

Another gunshot reverberated through the halls of the school, accompanied by a long, drawn-out scream that left the blood chilling in her veins.

So much for silence.

Marley covered her face with her hands and curled up, whimpering pitifully. "Calm down," Kitty hissed from behind her, and her stomach twisted painfully as she sat up again.

"Sorry—" Marley began to apologize, but Kitty simply held a single finger up to her lips and motioned with her head to the door. Marley looked at her with a confused expression, and she made the motion again, mouthing 'Be quiet.'

Marley nodded and pressed herself against the wall as footsteps began to approach. "Is anyone in this room?" Someone asked. Marley didn't recognize it. It was male, dark and heavy, slightly foreboding.

"I don't know," another voice said, and Marley's heart began to race. She knew that tone, knew that voice. It was Jake.

"Tell me!" The first voice said, and she heard the light thudding of…something… against flesh. Jake grimaced and said nothing. "Tell me!" The man repeated, and a slapping noise could be heard.

"I don't know," Jake said again, and his voice was strained and miserable.

Marley turned to Kitty, who looked at her with an expression of absolute, pure fear in her eyes. "Is that—" Kitty asked in a hoarse whisper, and Marley simply nodded once.

"Fine then!" The first voice yelled, and Marley and Kitty both shrank back in fear. "If you won't tell me…" there was another thudding sound, and a hoarse, strangled cry that could only come from Jake. "I'll find out."

There was banging noises at the door, and they pressed themselves against the wall like it would make them invisible. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," the voice taunted, and Marley's heart took off, racing, no, hammering wildly against her ribcage in a desperate and useless attempt to keep herself calm.

The banging ceased suddenly, and Marley relaxed slightly, noticing for the first time how close they were. Her breath faltered slightly, and every single one of her senses seemed to be on high alert.

The sharp cracking of glass could be heard and she tensed again, staring at the window with horror engraved in her features. _Please hold, glass, _she thought desperately, praying to whichever God might be listening. _Please. _And whatever heavenly being was up there must have been listening for the first time today, because miraculously, the glass held. "Whatever," the voice said, and Marley could hear the irritation.

A gunshot was heard, and loud, bestial cry sounded from just outside the door. Marley looked at Kitty desperately and was surprised to see tears in the other girl's eyes. Another gunshot was heard, and yet another cry.

Blood spattered onto the window, and Marley's stomach twisted hopelessly. "That'll teach you," the voice growled from outside, and quickly receding footsteps faded into nothing.

"P-please," they could hear Jake begging outside of the window. "I-I know there's someone there…" a deep, shuddering breath could be heard that was only stopped by a gurgle of blood.

"We have to go help," Kitty said, her voice wavering and cracking. "He needs help." She sounded helpless, lost, and alone. In essence, basically what they were.

"We can't," Marley found herself saying, her voice dull and void of emotion. "It's too dangerous."

"P-please," came the plea from outside, and then a violent coughing fit which was choked by what could only be a stream of blood. "H-help me.."

"Try and stop me," Kitty said venomously and got to her feet, rushing to the door in a crazed frenzy. Marley looked after her, worry flitting over her face and then disappearing as quickly as it had come.

She got up and began to run after the cheerleader, grabbing her arm. She whirled around, malice in her eyes. "Let me go," Kitty hissed and twisted her arm away, glaring at Marley with hatred in her eyes. "What the hell was that supposed to be?" She asked, casting a worried glance over her shoulder towards the door.

"It's too dangerous," Marley repeated, her voice strange and harsh in her throat. Kitty's eyes swam with tears.

"How can it be too dangerous for us?" Kitty asked as though she didn't understand.

"They're probably still there," Marley said in a forced whisper and pointed at the door.

"No, no, they're not," Kitty argued, and pushed past Marley and began to walk towards the door again in long stride.

"Kitty!" Marley hissed. "Come back!"

"No," Kitty said loudly and continued walking, not even looking back. Marley shook her head once, biting her lip and instantly feeling her mouth feel with the strange irony taste of blood. She shook her head again and grabbed her shoulder, succeeding in turning her around. Kitty stopped and slowly turned around to face Marley, tears obvious and glistening against her pale skin.

"It's going to be alright," Marley promised, and she tried to smile.

A sound was heard from outside, and Marley's heart seemed to stop. "P-please," Jake said, his voice growing steadily weaker. "I-I need," his voice faltered, squeaked, and fell silent. "I-sorry," were the last words they could hear, and then the boy erupted into a violent fit of coughing. A single blood-spattered hand appeared on the window, and Marley and Kitty could only stare in shell-shocked horror.

The hand dropped from the window and quiet thud could be heard as it hit the ground. The coughing abruptly ceased and everything was nearly silent for a few moments, the only sounds Marley could hear being Kitty's harsh, ragged breaths and the beating of her own heart.

"Jake!" Kitty screamed, but Marley clapped a hand over Kitty's mouth and Kitty silenced herself, still staring blindly at the spot where his hand had been.

"Come on," Marley found herself whispering. "We need to get away from the window." Her voice died in her throat, and she found herself holding back a choked sob.

Kitty nodded numbly and slowly began to walk back to their spot in the far corner of the room, her footsteps solemn and heavy. When she reached the spot where they had been sitting before, she collapsed and began to shake violently, tears slowly beginning to fall onto the choir room floor.

"We couldn't have done anything," Marley said softly and, after hesitating for a few seconds, put her arm around Kitty's shoulder in a feeble attempt for comfort. Kitty remained silent, harsh, racking sobs shaking through her body. But instead of drawing away at Marley's touch, she seemed to relax at it, curling up slightly, the sobs still strong as ever. "We couldn't have," Marley repeated, but she wasn't even sure if she believed it herself.

"It's our fault," Kitty said, her voice weak and miserable.

"It's not," Marley countered, a sharp pain beginning to appear in her heart. "It's really not."

"Yes, it is," Kitty said and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I-I-," she began, but she couldn't carry on and instead broke down again, collapsing against Marley's shoulder.

"It's going to be alright," Marley said, trying to calm her desperately. "It's going to be okay."

"How?" Kitty asked, her voice desperate and pleading and horrified. "_How?" _She repeated, this time louder.

Marley had no answer.


	6. Chapter Five

**Hey people! Tumblr is back up, thank the lord. I honestly had no idea what to do with myself. I think I went into a catatonic state. Anyways, new chapter today again, Chapter Five. We're nearly halfway through, unless I decide to write a sequel. **

**I should probably make a poll about that… until then, just review if you think I should. **

**I am honestly so effing done with this show, it's not even funny anymore. **

**Enjoy!**

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T **

**SHOOTING DAY**

**2:25 P.M.**

Kitty's sobs had gradually ceased into a still depression, the blonde staring at the wall sullenly, her face still beautiful but red and splotchy from the tears. Marley had attempted to keep it together, but it felt like her heart had been shredded and torn, her stomach still convulsing and twisting violently as she tried not to lose it.

"How long has it been?" Marley asked, staring at the clock, its incessant ticking providing a small and stable comfort.

"I don't know," Kitty said through her teeth as if she was angry, furious even. Marley shrugged and looked away, the warmth of Kitty's presence providing some small source of heat. It was beginning to get cold, the presence of the sharp winter air slowly beginning to bleed through the windows to the outside. Marley vaguely wondered what happened to the heating system, then decided she didn't want to theorize. Whatever she could come up with in her head would always be worse than the truth.

Marley felt Kitty shiver, and the shiver seemed to pass on from one girl to another, Marley's shoulders tensing slightly. She shifted awkwardly against the floor and sighed quietly, tracing the outline of her shoe with her finger. "Are you cold?" She asked quietly, although the answer was obvious.

Kitty nodded and shifted her weight slightly so that her shoulder rested against Marley's. Her skin seemed to be burning, the heat of her flesh ticking Marley's skin so that her arm prickled with goose bumps. Marley's shoulder moved against hers, the heat sending sparks up her spine. "Me too," Marley said, and Kitty turned around to look at her. Marley stared back with a blank expression, feeling like Kitty's irises were burning through her pupils.

She blinked and looked away, clearing her throat and tapping the ground softly with her foot. "Maybe someone shot the generator," she said, and instantly felt a stinging sensation in her chest. Maybe someone had shot the generator just like they had shot Jake, shards of glass and plastic flying everywhere and exploding- She felt tears misting up in her eyes and blinked them away, feeling her vision blur momentarily and then sharpen again.

She looked over to the other girl and saw that she too had turned away. Marley touched her shoulder lightly, her hand feeling like ice on the other girl's skin. Kitty did not react, and Marley leaned back against the wall, her shoulder feeling devoid of the other girl's warmth.

Footsteps began to approach the choir room again, and Kitty and Marley stared in terror at the door as if they expected someone or something to burst through it at any second. "Stay quiet," Marley heard Kitty mutter, and she nodded quickly, not dreaming of doing anything else.

There was a sharp rap on the door and Marley shrank back, the harsh texture of the wall grinding into her back. "Don't say anything," she mouthed to Kitty, and the blonde nodded. There were another set of raps at the door, and then Marley heard something being muttered and a thud like the kicking of a boot.

"They're staying quiet," Marley heard the low, harsh mutter of a male say, and there was a slight scoff.

"Do we even know if anyone's in there?" Another voice chimed in, and Marley's blood froze in her veins.

"Yes," the first voice said, and Marley could've sworn she heard him roll his eyes. "It's obvious, just listen for a second."

The two voices fell silent and Marley and Kitty froze, their heartbeats pounding in unison. They were doomed. There was no way that they could get out of here. The men were sure to hear their heartbeats, or their breathing, or _something. _It was all over.

Before Marley could stop herself, a small, pitiful whimper escaped her throat. Before she had realized what she had done, a small, but forceful hand was clapped over her mouth, muffling the sound. Marley's heart took off, even quicker than before.

_She smells like vanilla, _her brain randomly thought, but Marley choked the thought before it could grow and end it all. _Stay quiet, _the rational, thinking part of her brain hissed, and Marley's body obliged.

"What was that?" The first voice said. "I just heard something."

"There's no one there," the second voice said, and Marley began to relax slightly. However, Kitty wouldn't loosen her hold on her jaw, in fact, it seemed to get stronger and more intense as the silence stretched out.

"Yes, there is," the first voice chuckled, a deep, dark chuckle that held no humor in it. "Trust me."

"Whatever," Marley heard from the other side of the door, and Kitty's hand let go of her mouth.

There was a strong banging noise on the other end of the door, and Marley and Kitty both tensed, each staring frightfully at the wooden door, hoping not to see cracks and fractures in it. The door held, like the glass, and the men seemed to give up.

Footsteps approached quickly, and Marley and Kitty subconsciously traded looks. There was another one?

"I've been to the cafeteria," the new voice said, this one stronger and more masculine, authorative. "No one there…"

Marley sighed in relief.

"Anymore." Marley's eyes flew open wide, her mind flying over possible explanations for the seemingly ominous statement, and Kitty seemed to understand the other girl's panic.

"Was there anyone there though?" The second voice asked, and the third voice responded, seemingly irritated.

"Yes," he said and chuckled again, but instead of inducing humor, it caused Marley's stomach to churn in fear and loathing. "Oh yes, there was."

Marley closed her eyes and wanted to shield her ears, but she couldn't. Not now….

"We shot the fat ass lunch lady," the third voice said and began to laugh, a hollow, mocking laugh that seemed to claw itself through Marley's veins and finally to Marley's heart.

_They shot the fat ass lunch lady. _

_They shot her _mom.

Marley's eyes immediately began to prick with tears, and she began rocking back and forth incessantly, tears immediately beginning to blind her vision and obscure all of her senses.

She was vaguely aware of Kitty's hand once again covering her mouth and her arms attempting to restrain her, but it was useless. Nothing in Marley could be caged, nothing covered up. Her mother was dead, and she had nothing left.

It remained silent for a while in the hall, and Marley vaguely registered receding footsteps. Although they had left, Kitty did not release her, but whether it was for her own benefit or for Marley's, she did not know.

Kitty seemed taken with the situation and highly disturbed, guilty that a victim of her cruel and spiteful teasing had met such a terrible end. She swallowed heavily, feeling incredibly guilty, and although she didn't know the woman, only in passing, she began to feel tears pricking at her eyes. She blinked them away and shook her head, staring down at the ground.

"Just kill me now," Marley whispered, and when she looked back up at Kitty, she was surprised to see that she too was crying.

"Don't say that," Kitty whispered, her voice feeling alien in her throat. "Just…. don't." She couldn't handle it anymore, not when it was so close to the truth.

"Just kill me now," Marley repeated again, staring out at nothing in particular, her eyes haunted and empty. "Please."

"Stop," Kitty whispered, but even she knew that was a weak protest. "Don't."

But Marley merely shook her head.


	7. Author's Note

**Hi, everyone. **

**In lieu of recent events, I have decided to put this story on semi-hiatus. It's going to be about a week before I start posting this again. **

**My heart goes out to the victims and everyone affected by the shooting in Connecticut. **

**Thank you. **

**~LeSlytherinPhoenix**

**P.S. This does not mean I won't be posting anything. I have a few oneshots and such in mind. **


	8. Chapter Six

**I am sorry it took a while. But I felt that in light of recent events, it would be best to wait a bit before updating again. The news made me absolutely sick to my stomach. **

**However, I have decided to put a lighter chapter on, a bit more mundane, perhaps. I'll try to avoid the heavier topics for a few days, outline be damned. **

**If you feel like it's best for me to wait a few days more, please tell me. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T **

SHOOTING DAY, 6:25 A.M.

"Marley!" Her mother's voice pierced the still morning air, and Marley turned over in bed, grimacing and rubbing her eyes. "Marley, it's 6:30, we need to get going!"

"I'm coming, Mom," she promised, and went right back to sleep, the dull morning light prodding at her eyelids.

"Marley!" Her mother came in a few minutes later, shaking the covers off. "Wake up!"

"Yes, Mom," Marley said and got out of bed, her head pounding. The rush of blood to her head made her slightly faint, and she gripped the edge of her bed and made her way around, picking up the clothes she had laid out the night before. She made her way to the bathroom, and when she emerged, her mother was already standing by the door with an impatient expression.

"Marley," her mother said quietly and held out her jacket, which Marley gladly accepted. They got into their car and drove towards the school, her mother trying to initiate some conversation, but Marley was tired and unresponsive.

They arrived at the school, and Marley jumped out of the car and pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek, who drove off to the employee parking lot. She shouldered her bag and walked into school, feeling the gust of warm air hit her in the face.

She looked at the giant clock hanging in the hall before heading to her locker, and sighed when she realized it was twenty minutes before class started. When Glee still existed, she would simply go to the choir room and sit there, doing her homework or whatever. But now Glee was gone, and she had nowhere to go.

She decided to sit on the steps out front and after retrieving her books strode over there, the cold concrete rubbing uncomfortably against her skin. It was so much warmer inside, but the cheerleaders and the jocks dominated the cafeteria before school, and Marley was _not _about to walk in there and practically demand a slushy to the face. She was wearing her favorite sweater today. It wasn't worth it.

The first bell rang and Marley got up, shivering slightly. She walked to class and sat down, the intercom's announcements blaring obnoxiously over the speakers. _"Chess Club will be meeting…_" the loudspeaker blared, but thankfully it was disrupted by static.

"Since the loudspeaker isn't working, we might as well start class," Marley's English teacher said, a tall, lanky fellow named Mr. Curtis.

Marley sighed and opened her notebook, copying down the uses of symbolism in the Merchant of Venice. "I'll be handing out your last essay in a couple of moments," Mr. Curtis said and began digging around in his desk, presumably for the essay. "Here we go," he said triumphantly and stood up, passing papers around. "This is the one about the Quality of Mercy," he added .

That one. Marley had spent several long, tedious hours working on that damn essay, and she sure as hell hoped it had paid off. English had always been one of her favorite subjects, but now it was just too much work. She didn't particularly care too much about the literature they were reading, and although the Quality of Mercy was, she supposed, 'pretty', it still wasn't increasingly fascinating to write about.

"Miss Rose, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed," Mr. Curtis said, startling her out of her thoughts. He handed her the paper with a slightly sour expression his face.

Marley turned the paper over to see the grade, and her heart sank. _C-, _it said, and she needed good grades. If she didn't get good grades, she couldn't get a college scholarship. If she didn't get a college scholarship, her mother sure as hell couldn't afford it. And if her mother couldn't afford it, she couldn't go to college.

She'd never get out of Lima.

She'd never do anything useful with her life.

She sighed and put the essay away, taking a pen out and flipping to a blank page in her notebook. _Ask Mr. C for corrections, _she wrote and sighed again, putting her head in her hands. Hopefully a C- wouldn't drag down her quarterly grade too much, but she was already at an 83% and she _needed _to have a good GPA.

She sighed and began taking notes as her teacher droned on and on, her brain slowly beginning to tune him out as she grew steadily more tired. She knew should've gone to sleep earlier….

Her eyes snapped open as she realized she had nearly been dozing off, and the shrill bell rang in her ears. She stood up and swung her bag over her shoulder and walked over to Mr. Curtis's desk, trying to smile. "Mr. Curtis?" She asked, looking down hopefully as the teacher peered up at her through his glasses.

"Yes, Marley?" He asked, and Marley swallowed.

"Could I maybe correct my essay?" She asked, smiling weakly. Mr. Curtis looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

"Feel free," he said, his tone dry and humorless.

"Th—" Marley began to say, but he cut her off harshly.

"It's not going to raise your grade, though," he said simply, and Marley's smile faltered.

"Mr. Curtis—" she began to protest, but he held up a single hand in blatant refusal.

"Stop speaking, Marley," he said harshly, and his expression was carefully blank but irritated. "I can't help you with your grade, you know that." He sighed and opened his laptop, beginning to type.

"What about extra credit?" She asked desperately, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

"I can't give you special treatment, you know that," Mr. C sighed again.

"I know, but couldn't you—"

"Miss Rose." Her teacher closed his laptop forcefully and stared at her with an irritated expression. "You know you deserved that grade."

She nodded.

"You know I can't help you with it."

She nodded again, then sighed and straightened her bag strap. "Alright," she said, her voice dull.

"You better get going," Mr. Curtis advised her and pointed at the clock. "It's 9:54, you're already going to be late."

"Damn," she hissed and took off shouting, "Have a nice day!" Over her shoulder but not truly meaning it.

She arrived at her locker in record time and fumbled with the lock, failing again and again at getting the combination right. Finally she got it and pulled the lock down, swinging her locker open and retrieving her books.

The bell rang, and Marley cursed inwardly. She was going to be late to History _again. _

It was 9:56.

She had two minutes left of peace.


	9. Chapter Seven

**I was going to post another filler chapter, but it seems like y'all are ready for another full one. Nothing graphic in here, though. This is probably going to be one of the longest chapters in the fic, actually, so I hope you enjoy it. **

**So we finally have some retribution now…. Setting the stage for the end of the fic. I hope y'all like it. **

**Have you seen that the love triangle is going to heat up in an 'unexpected way?' I can't help but have some kind of strange hope that Karley might become canon… ugh. It's best not to get my hopes up. Alright. I'll stop talking now…. **

**The poem quoted is by T.S. Eliot. I don't own it. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T **

SHOOTING DAY, 8:25 P.M.

The lights outside had begun to grow steadily darker at around five o' clock, the light of the sun slowly fading from behind the blinds. The lights in the choir room still burned bright and steady, and it seemed like the school was nearly empty.

Of course it wasn't.

The temperature, too, had begun to decline again dramatically, the heater still refusing to turn on and the temperature outside near freezing. The girls had nearly given up trying to be warm, and eventually they just ended up sitting against the wall, their arms slung around each other for warmth and, as Marley told herself, comfort.

It was now pitch black outside, and Marley could faintly see the outline of the stars through the window. The cold night air seemed welcoming, and she faintly thought of what would happen if she busted a window and climbed outside.

That'd be a great idea, other than the fact that they weren't on the first floor.

Kitty's teeth had been chattering on and off for the past hour (or so Marley thought, she couldn't be sure) and Marley slowly felt herself becoming a bit feverish, her forehead burning slightly and her eyelids beginning to feel heavy.

She wasn't tired, though. She was much too exhausted and spent to sleep. She couldn't bear sleep right now. Not here. She began to shiver violently, and her eyes felt red and puffy, which they probably were.

They couldn't even move. They were paralyzed, and although the shots had been quiet for some time now, they couldn't bear to move more than a couple of inches at a time. The risks were too high, the chances too great. Perhaps part of it was that they simply couldn't bring themselves to move, couldn't bring themselves to leave the choir room. They were too scared of what they would find outside.

"Marley?" Marley turned her head and caught Kitty softly whispering the other girl's name.

"Yes?" She asked, and she closed her eyes for a few seconds, her eyeballs burning behind her eyelids.

"Are we going to die?" Kitty asked softly, tenderly nearly, as if she wanted an answer but was too afraid to hear it.

_Of course not, _Marley wanted to promise, but when she opened her mouth to finally say that, she found she couldn't. "I don't know," Marley finally said softly, wincing as the words hit her ears. The vagueness of the statement hurt more than the meaning of it.

Softly, she began to cry again, trying to stifle her tears with the back of her hand but somehow failing.

There was next to no light outside, and Marley found herself wondering what had had happened to the traffic lights, the lights of the cars going by. There was next to no sound outside except for the occasional rustling of the wind in the trees and the slight sounds of skidding or walking outside, but other than that, silence.

Another gunshot blasted through the air and Marley whimpered, hoping that no one had been shot.

"Too many," she heard Kitty mutter under her breath, and Marley nodded silently in agreement, although the statement probably wasn't meant for her, the tears slowly beginning to stop but still falling hot and sticky on her face.

The lights dramatically flickered, and Marley's stomach twisted violently. _Don't let the light go out, _she thought frantically. _Please, dear lord… _

But the Lord wasn't listening, and after flickering a few more times, the lights flared out with a dramatic electronic noise. "Damn," Marley said out loud into the dark. "You don't have a phone, do you?" She asked before realizing how stupid that was. If Kitty had a phone, they could've called the police… perhaps she had forgotten.

"I do," Kitty sighed and reached into a pocket of her Cheerios jacket, pulling out an expensive iPhone and turning it on. "No reception."

Marley reached into the front pocket of her backpack and turned her own phone on, the green screen lighting up as she hopelessly realized she had none as well. "Why wouldn't there be any reception?" Marley asked, her voice hoarse.

"There's never any in the choir room," Kitty said, rolling her eyes. "Trust me, why else do you think I paid attention in Glee?"

Marley nodded, feeling like an idiot and looking down. She turned her phone off, hoping to preserve the battery in case they ever got out of the choir room. Kitty sighed and looked around before turning hers off again, leaving them shrouded in darkness. There was no light. There was _nothing_ left over now, no sound and now no light, save for the faint glow of the moonlight through the window. It was like they were suspended in time, and although it could have been mere seconds, eternity passed in Marley's head.

"Marley?" Marley's head spun around to the side to see Kitty staring ahead with a blank expression on her face. The words had most certainly come from the blonde, though, and Marley stared at the girl sitting next to her with a wide-eyed expression.

"Yes?" Marley answered, and Kitty swallowed. Her eyes cast nervous glances at the door and then back at Marley's face, her pupils wide.

"I-" Kitty swallowed and took a deep breath, her eyes flickering again towards the door as if she nearly expected something. Marley stared for a few seconds, her breath hitching slightly as she waited for the girl to finish the sentence. "I'm sorry," Kitty finished in a strangled whisper, and Marley's stomach felt like lead had dropped into it.

The words seemed to hang in the air for a few seconds, casting an uncertain shade over the choir room. "Sorry for what?" Marley asked before she realized what she had asked. _Stupid. _

Maybe Marley was finally getting an apology for the tormenting, for the slushies, for the damn whale jokes—she felt tears rise in her eyes as she remembered the pure hell that had been the first few weeks of sophomore year. But now she was stuck in hell, real hell, and this time with Kitty at her side. She faintly registered her heart beginning to beat faster as she waited for the other girl's answer, her eyes large and unblinking.

"Everything," Kitty said in a muffled voice, and it didn't take too long for Marley too realize that she was crying softly.

"I-" Marley began, but her voice faltered miserably in her throat. "It's..it's okay," she whispered, and she managed to pull the corner of her mouth up into a faint attempt at a smile.

"It's not," Kitty said and shook her head faintly, her hair brushing against Marley's cheek as she shook her head back and forth. "Really, it's not…" her voice trailed off and she started shaking.

Marley stared awkwardly at the girl, opening her mouth slightly and then closing it again, chewing on her bottom lip as she studied the other girl's reaction. She sighed quietly, and her heart beat in an irregular pattern against her ribs.

The lights flickered back on momentarily, and Marley's eyes began to water at the sudden light. She sighed in relief, the tension flickering out of her shoulders quickly, then snapping back into place as the lights went out with another electronic buzz and plunged them into a murky oblivion.

Both had remained silent during the entire event, the last words spoken suspended in the air and floating. Marley cleared her throat, and the silence snapped in half and was replaced by an awkward tension. "It's okay," she said again, albeit lamely.

Kitty shook her head and looked away, her face turning to the side. "I was so terrible to you," she said, her voice lifeless. "I-I guess I was just," her voice wavered, and Marley strained to catch her next words, the blonde muttering something about Jake and Ryder, jealousy, and the Cheerios and social order.

"I understand." Marley nodded and looked down, picking at her nails. And maybe she even did understand. Maybe she did understand the girl's motivation to torment her. But then again, maybe she didn't understand it at all.

"I-I should've tried to be nice," Kitty mumbled. "At least when we were in Glee.." the words were cut off by another muffled sob. Marley nodded again awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say.

"But you were nice," Marley offered, remembering their duet in the same room that they were sitting in right now and the minutes directly after Sectionals in which she had hoped that Kitty was actually worried about her. Kitty whipped around to look at her with a dubious expression.

"No, I wasn't," Kitty said with a biting-self hatred that made Marley's stomach turn. "I should've tried after Sectionals," she added, tracing the outline of her shoe with her finger, trying desperately to avoid eye contact. "It was my fault, you know…" her voice trailed off, thick with tears.

"No," Marley protested. "It's mine. I shouldn't have listened."

"I shouldn't have told you!" Kitty said with a certain venom and turned around to look at Marley in the eye. "Listen," her voice softened and so did her look. "I'm sorry, okay?" She looked to the side, the faint smudges of makeup barely even there.

"I forgive you," Marley said quietly, and they remained silent for a while, the school noiseless, as silent as the grave. Marley swallowed. She'd have to stop using that metaphor.

Footsteps echoed, breaking the silence in half, the dull curtain of nothingness shattering into a million pieces. Marley held her breath in terror, hoping to avoid whatever was out there, _whoever _was out there. The blonde next to her gripped her arm with an iron grip, and as soon as Marley realized that she was touching her, her stomach froze and her face flushed, the blood rushing in her ears. The grip was slowly becoming painful as the footsteps begin to fade, but strangely enough, Marley didn't mind.

The footsteps were finally gone, and Kitty released her. Marley shifted her weight and rotated her shoulder slightly, the blood rushing back into her arm. "Sorry," Kitty muttered, but Marley said nothing, and the two lapsed into an uncomfortable silence again.

Kitty began to say something slowly under her breath, the words coming out in ragged, harsh breaths. Marley leaned in closer to try and understand what she was saying, and when she finally realized it, she leaned back and closed her eyes. Kitty was praying.

"Please," Marley could hear her whisper, and Marley's head leaned against the cold concrete of the wall, her mind desperately remembering some stanza of poetry she had read a few weeks ago.

_This is the way the world ends. _

_This is the way the world ends. _

_This is the way the world ends. _

_Not with a bang, but with a whimper. _

The author had been lying, Marley thought frantically, trying to hold whatever part of her sanity remained dear.

The world ended in silence.


	10. Chapter Eight

**Now, this is another bit of a filler. However, because I love you guys very much and thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows, I will update twice today! Stay tuned, everyone! Love you guys. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

SHOOTING DAY, 4:24 P.M.

Andrew Wilde grasped the still warm handle of the coffee pot, pouring himself another cup and rolling his eyes when a drop overflowed, staining his skin. "Andrew?" It came from the other room, and he straightened himself.

"Yes?" He asked, putting the coffee mug down and stepping through the door towards the living room, smiling as he saw that his wife was home from work.

Vanessa Wilde stepped inside and took off her coat, hanging it on the hooks by the door. "Is Kitty home yet?" She asked, looking around for her daughter.

"She's walking today," Andrew said and looked at his watch. Perhaps she was late coming home, maybe she had stayed behind to fix some grades.

"Oh, right," Vanessa said and made a face like she remembered, which of course she didn't. "Why aren't you picking up your phone?" She asked, having tried to call him three times today and being met only with his voice mail.

"I left it on my desk at the office," he explained, and his wife rolled her eyes.

"Typical," he heard her mutter, and she disappeared into the kitchen.

The house was strangely silent without the presence of his daughter there. Andrew shook his head lightly, and the shrill ringing of the house phone cut through the air like a knife. "Get the phone," he called to his wife, but she was upstairs and didn't hear him.

Sighing, he walked towards the phone and picked it up, pressing the device to his ear and listening only half-heartedly. "_Please hold," _a mechanized voice said, and Andrew nearly smashed the phone down before he heard the next few words. _"Mr. Wilde," _a voice said, and this time it was a real, human voice that sounded remotely regretful. _"We'd like to ask you and your wife to please come to the police station…" _Andrew furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Why?" He asked, his tone unwillingly harsh and rude.

"_There is a matter concerning your daughter," _the voice said, and Andrew felt his temper flare. What had Kitty done this time?

"We'll be right there," he promised, and he nearly leapt up the stairs. "Vanessa," he said, his voice carefully monotone. "We need to get to the police station."

"Why?" She asked, poking her head out of the bathroom where she had been presumably fixing her hair again.

"Something about Kitty," he said, muttering. He was pissed, beyond pissed even.

Vanessa tutted and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, rolling her eyes. "Let's go."

They got in their car and drove to the police station, the rough smell of new leather invading his nostrils and making his head hurt. They vaguely discussed punishment, grounding, banning her from activities other than studying and cheerleading.

"Unusual amount of sirens today," Vanessa remarked softly after the conversation waned a bit.

"Maybe a break-in," Andrew replied, his eyes scanning the road and his voice still monotone.

The traffic to the police station was heavy, and Andrew honked carefully, rolling his eyes, his temper flaring madly. Whatever Kitty had done, she would regret it.

SHOOTING DAY, 5:25 P.M.

After they had arrived at the police station, they had been shepherded into a giant room, the line stretching terribly. The line was nearly an hour long, and when they had finally reached the front, both of them were irritated and exhausted.

"What the hell is going on?" Andrew said when they were finally shown into a tiny room and asked to sit down in front of a desk where a tall, thin man waited to tell them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wilde—" he began, his voice lilting and foreign.

"We want to know why we're here," Vanessa interrupted him and looked at her husband, who nodded forcefully.

"I'm getting to that," he said and ran a hand through his hair, messing up his already mussed hair even more. "Mr. and Mrs. Wilde," he began again, leaning forward slightly, his glasses pushed down to the bridge of his nose. "We are very sorry, but there has been an emergency at your child's school today…" that was all they heard. They sat back, stunned, as he explained the situation, starting at the gunshots.

"They're trapped inside the school?" Vanessa screeched, trying not to panic.

"We're very sorry," he repeated and pushed his glasses up, the dark brown frame standing out in clear contrast against his skin. "We don't know when she'll be getting home…" _If she'll be getting home, _he thought, but he didn't voice it.

"Who?" Vanessa asked, her voice forced.

"We're not sure at this time," the man said, sitting back in his chair and crossing his legs. "We believe—"

"I don't care what you believe!" Vanessa nearly shrieked and almost launched herself across the table, her husband's hand on her shoulder a reminder to calm the hell down.

"Mrs. Wilde, you are not the only parent in this situation!" The man behind the desk shouted, and Vanessa shrank back, her face a ghostly white.

"I'm sorry," she said, but it seemed like more of a formality than an actual statement. "I'm so sorry."

The man behind the desk nodded as if he were already used to these kinds of apologies and tapped his fingers on the desk. "I'm afraid we can't get in yet, you see," he said, sighing deeply. "We're trying to find a way to infiltrate the school without alerting the shooters," he explained, his shoulders sagging. "They've threatened to, well, go insane if we go inside."

Vanessa and Andrew nodded weakly. "We'll keep you updated," the man promised, and seemed to slump in his seat.

Andrew felt himself nod numbly and they stepped outside of the office, threading their way past waiting parents, still blissfully ignorant. "Vanessa!" They heard a cry from one of the waiting parents, and Vanessa Wilde wheeled around to see one of her acquaintances from church. Leaving her husband standing in line, she rushed towards her, grinning.

"What's going on?" The lady asked her, but Vanessa could only shake her head. The lady's smile slowly began to slip from her face. "Vanessa?"

The woman merely shook her head again and turned away, clutching to her husband's arm in support.


	11. Chapter Nine

**Fine, you impatient little shipper people. I hope this is up to your standards. My second update today, of course. I love you guys for following, favoriting, and reviewing. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T **

**THE DAY AFTER, 3:20 A.M.**

Cold.

That was the first thing Marley registered when she regained consciousness, the severe, biting cold that seemed to hang around her skin like an aura. She shivered once, keeping her eyes closed.

The second thing she noticed was the lack of it on her left side, and she instinctively leaned into the warmth radiating from what she, a split second later, a human body. Her eyes snapped wide open as the events of yesterday flooded back into her mind, and in a second she was sitting upright, her stomach churning as she remembered exactly what had happened.

_Shots. _

_Kitty. _

_Jake. _

_Kitty. _

_Shots. _

_Her mom. _

_Kitty. _

There was some faint movement in the body lying next to her, and Marley looked to the side at the still-sleeping figure. Something about sleep made her look younger, more innocent, even, Marley mused, and right as she caught herself staring, the blonde stirred again. Marley quickly averted her eyes and looked away, clearing his throat awkwardly as Kitty sat up.

"What time is it?" She asked, then seemed to remember where they were. A faint shadow of doubt crept into her eyes. Marley shrugged and looked outside, where it was still dark. The school was mostly silent, the generator quiet and the lights still completely off. Marley sighed and leaned against the wall, hoping desperately for some sort of salvation.

"We should leave," Kitty said suddenly, and Marley spun around harshly, more harshly than she meant to, confusion and fear combining in her eyes.

"What?" Marley asked, shaking her head vigorously. They _couldn't _leave. The choir room was their safe haven, the only place where they were safe. The glass had held. The door had held. It was truly the only place.

Besides, where would they go? No doubt the shooters had somehow managed to lock the main entrances of the school, and Marley highly doubted it'd be any safer. The hall was open territory now, no-man's land, and she would be damned before she or Kitty could be caught out there.

"We need to get out," Kitty said with a certain finality that made Marley shiver. "You know we can't stay here forever."

"Wait for help," Marley pleaded in a soft whisper, casting a nervous glance at the door. "We don't know what's out there…"

"There's nothing," Kitty spat out, arguing with a pointed look in her eyes. "Let's go."

She got up and moved towards the door, her legs wobbling but steadfast. Marley was struck with a feeling of intense déjà vu, and she shook her head. "Kitty," Marley said in a warning tone and got up, needles shooting up her legs at the sudden movement. She swayed lightly but regained her balance, putting a hand against the wall to steady herself.

After regaining some sort of feeling in her legs, she quickly caught up with the shorter blonde and grabbed her shoulder, déjà vu shooting through her again. "Let go of me," Kitty said, but she sounded almost bored.

"We can't go out there," Marley said. She shook her head. They had done this before, when Jake had been out there… and what had happened? He had died. He had died, and the cold, hard realization of this fact made tears spring to Marley's eyes and her heart twist and turn.

"Marley." Kitty said matter-of-factly, her voice wavering slightly as she tried to keep up the façade. "We can't stay here forever. You know that." Marley pursed her lips and shook her head firmly.

"It's too dangerous," she repeated, and a knot of nervousness twisted into place in her abdomen. _Chicken, _a small voice in her head whispered, and Marley's eyes watered. _You're just too scared of what you might find. _Marley swallowed, her nostrils flaring slightly as she tried not to cry. What would they find out there?

"Marley!" Kitty's cry interrupted her thoughts, and Marley looked up at her. "We need to go!"

"Why?" Marley shot back, her voice cracked and almost at the breaking point. "What's the point?"

"The point is getting out of here," Kitty hissed, and motioned vaguely with her hands towards the outside. "We're not going to stay stuck in here forever, eventually that lock is going to break and then we'll be screwed!" She finished in a forced whisper.

"They're not going to keep trying to get through," Marley protested and wiped a tear from her eye with her hand, sniffing slightly.

Kitty seemed to pause for a split second, her mouth opening slightly and then closing it again. The air was sharp and crisp and cool, the moonlight flooding in through the window. It couldn't be past four in the morning, Marley mused. The school was silent. There was no indication that anyone was even there anymore. She sighed and shook her head. If there wasn't anyone in the school anymore, the police would've come and helped them out. They had to have. Marley refused to believe that she could be forgotten.

"We have to get out of here." Kitty said with a certain finality, staring at Marley with an almost pitying expression in her eyes.

"No." Marley said and crossed her arms, uncrossing them again after mere seconds because she felt like an idiot. "Why don't you just leave without me, then?" She asked, flinging her arms away from her body.

"I'm not going to leave you," Kitty said and rolled her eyes, taking an uncertain step towards Marley.

"Well, I'm not going," Marley said with a strange glare, panic reflecting in her features. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Ugh—" Kitty said and averted her eyes, a few perfect blonde curls spiraling out of her already loose ponytail and framing her face. Marley's heart thudded slightly. "You're so stubborn," Kitty hissed, and she brought her eyes back to Marley's. Marley squared her shoulders slightly but refused to look away.

"I'm stubborn?" Marley asked and pointed at herself, shaking her head. "No. You're stubborn, I'm sensible."

"Oh, like there's a difference?" Kitty mocked and stepped closer. Marley's hand flew up to her shoulder and pushed her away lightly. Kitty's hand grabbed her wrist and gripped it tight. Marley stared at her with a questioning expression, something burning in her lower stomach. Marley tensed slightly, and Kitty's hand came back, pulling Marley with it. Their noses were almost touching, and they stared at each other with wide-eyed expressions.

The next moment, they were kissing.

A strong tingling sensation passed through Marley's body, and her heart began to race, to fly—she couldn't even breathe anymore. She closed her eyes.

Time seemed to freeze in Marley's head, and nothing existed anymore. The moonlight was non-existent, the choir room was imaginary. There was nothing left in the world anymore, and time seemed to both freeze and quicken. Marley could almost hear the infinite ticking of a clock somewhere buried deep in her mind, and her eyes were open in shell-shocked surprise.

Eventually, they pulled away, Kitty staring at Marley with something so lost and scared and _vulnerable _that she felt her heart snap in two. "Fine," she whispered, and mentally cursed herself for giving in.

"What?" Kitty asked softly, her cheeks beginning to burn.

"We can go," Marley said and chewed on her bottom lip, closing her eyes tightly and then opening them again, shaking her head.

"Are you sure?" Kitty asked, looking at Marley for confirmation, who paused for a split second and then nodded solemnly. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were heading straight into their doom.

Kitty nodded too, closing her eyes and walking towards where they had stashed the key, weighing it in her hand and walking quietly to the door. Marley looked away from what the blonde was doing, the weight of what had just happened burning in her chest.

They had kissed. What? Marley didn't even have to think about it, the idea was insane. They had kissed. She shook her head and tried to calm her heartbeat. There was no way that had been genuine, no matter how genuine it may have felt… Marley had only felt slightly crushed when Kitty didn't try to be her friend after the whole Sectionals incident. She had never noticed the way her hair fell _perfectly _down her shoulders, and her stomach had most certainly not flipped the first time she had heard her sing.

Kitty finished unlocking the door and opened it quietly, staring at Marley with a grim and expectant expression. Marley nodded again and stepped towards the door, her stomach fluttering madly. She smiled weakly at Kitty, who smiled back like she understood.

She stepped through the door.


	12. Chapter Ten

**Hey, guys! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I've been trying to reply to reviews, but sometimes my email screws up and I don't get them. So if I haven't replied to you, it's not because I'm ignoring you and I love you lots. Same to all of those silent people who follow or favorite~ thank you! **

**If any of you want to follow me on Tumblr, I'm tinyjewishcheerleader. I reblog karley, faberry, and a few other couples from different fandoms. **

**A poem by T.S. Eliot is quoted again. I don't own it. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

**THE DAY AFTER, 3:45 A.M.**

The door closed quietly behind Marley with a small thud that left her heart pounding and her mouth dry.

The hallway was silent as ever, and Marley closed her eyes shut as she stepped out, hoping to avoid whatever gruesome sight that might await her. Carefully averting her eyes from the ground, she stepped away from the choir, keeping her eyes carefully trained on following Kitty.

There was no one in the halls, and Marley couldn't help but wonder if their nightmare was over. Somehow, she doubted it, and that shade of doubt soon grew into a strange apprehension that sharpened her features and left her wary of everything. She passed a classroom window that had been obviously shot, the glass shards lying on the ground and sparkling serenely in the moonlight. Marley swallowed. They looked like diamonds.

There was a quiet, unnatural calm in the halls, and Marley herself could barely register her own footsteps and the sound of her own breathing. Occasionally, they would pass an empty classroom with the door wide open, and Marley would briefly consider giving up and ducking into it, hiding in a closet until someone else found her and helped her out.

Other times, they would come by a classroom door that was quietly shut. Marley imagined that there were people behind those doors, people like herself and Kitty who turned to each other, terrified and curled up behind or in front of whatever they were hiding behind, only to relax when the footsteps were gone and the uneasy silence back again.

There was a giant pile of glass in front of the cafeteria and Marley shut her eyes tight and stood still. A single tear leaked out of her eye, and she choked slightly, bowing her head and trying to avoid reality. "Marley?" Kitty asked and obviously stepped towards her, the crunch of glass below her feet making Marley wince.

"I can't," Marley forced out, gritting her teeth and trying not to lose it.

"Marley, we can't just stand here," Kitty said and Marley felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and stared at the ground, trying not to cry.

"I can't," she repeated, sounding like a broken record. "Really." She shook her head lightly and tried to move, but her feet felt like they were stuck to the ground.

"Marley," Kitty said softly but looked around like she was worried. "We're going to get out of here."

Marley nodded quickly, her throat tight and miserable. She tried to speak, but she couldn't. Her chest was constricting violently around her ribcage and her breath was beginning to falter. "Marley," Kitty repeated, and reached up with her hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from Marley's face, tucking it behind her ear. Marley's heart flipped and she swallowed. "Listen. We're going to get out of here, and it's going to be okay." She brought her hand down from Marley's face and put it on her shoulder.

Leaning forward slightly, Kitty hesitated, almost as if she were nervous. Closing her eyes, she leaned forward even more, pressing a soft and gentle kiss to Marley's lips.

Shockwaves seemed to go through Marley and she closed her eyes. The first one could've been a fluke. It could've just been the release of pent-up emotions, fright, and anger that had somehow culminated into a kiss. But this couldn't have been some random act. This was real, and if the beating of Marley's heart was any indication, she was enjoying it.

Marley's throat constricted and then released when the blonde stepped back, and she breathed in a shuddering breath before squaring her shoulders and nodding. She eased her foot out of the glass and walked on, ignoring the ominous crunch beneath her feet every time she pressed her foot against the ground. The crackling seemed like a fire and the breaking of bones at the same time, and Marley shuddered subconsciously, her shoulders sagging in relief as she finally stepped over the last of the glass.

The cafeteria behind it was seemingly empty, but Marley didn't want to look.

They reached the door to the courtyard and Kitty pushed it open. It creaked slightly, and Marley stiffened. They stepped outside and the door fell shut behind them, locking. Marley turned around in horror, rattling at the door, but it wouldn't yield. She sighed. They were stuck.

The night air was cold against her skin, and Marley shivered. The moon was a bright orb, hanging ominously in the sky. There were no clouds. It was clear, and the starlight was comforting above them.

There was a gunshot, and Marley's hands flew up to her mouth and she stared at Kitty in horror. "What do we do now?" She whispered, and Kitty shook her head desperately.

"I don't know," she hissed, but the worry in her eyes prevailed over the shield she had carefully constructed. "I really don't know."

They began to cross the courtyard, keeping their heads down. They reached the stairs and began to climb towards the top when another gunshot echoed in the night. Marley shrank back, her eyes wide in panic, and she tripped and fell onto concrete where she gripped the stair rail for support.

_This is the way the world ends. _

She could only watch in horror as a hooded figure emerged from the school brandishing a gun. He—for it was undoubtedly a man, simply the way he carried himself and walked gave that fact away—was tall and obviously muscular. Marley swallowed in complete horror and watched him pause and turn around as if he sensed that someone was there.

That someone was, unfortunately, Kitty.

Marley's hands flew to her mouth again as she desperately choked back a scream. Kitty was standing in the middle of the staircase, turning around in complete horror, her perfect blonde hair fluttering slightly in the breeze.

_This is the way the world ends. _

Kitty's hands dropped to her sides in feeble protest as the guy with the gun turned to her, his gun raised and his face that surely had a devastating half-smirk etched into it covered by the hood. He was like Death. He looked like Death. Hell, he _was_ death. Kitty's features were horrified, and she opened her mouth and shook her head vigorously in silent protest.

"Don't," Marley heard Kitty call out, and the blonde lowered her head and began to cry, the wind whipping around her face and her hair flying out like some sort of a halo. Marley was paralyzed, stuck hiding behind a wall of her own fears. She was stuck and a coward, and now Kitty was going to pay.

Marley closed her eyes and began to pray, tears trickling down her face as she desperately tried not to make any noise. Nothing could happen to Kitty. It couldn't happen. It wouldn't. It was like one of those things in movies where even though it _seemed _like everything was going to go wrong, it wouldn't. It couldn't. It'd be a dream, or a flashback, or a premonition, or someone would swoop in and save the day.

_This is the way the world ends. _

The man lowered his gun and for a moment, Marley began to breathe normally again, the tears stopping for a split second as she leaned over the railing a bit to see better. Giving up, she slumped back onto the cold concrete, ignoring the pain. Maybe it would all be okay. Kitty promised. It had to be okay. She didn't know what she would do with herself if it wasn't okay.

After a few seconds, he raised the gun again, a low, hacking, dark chuckle rising in his throat, the kind that threatened to turn into a snarl at any given second. Marley's stomach churned. What kind of a monster was he?

A single gunshot echoed in the silent night sky, stretching across seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, years, millennia even, and yet still existed in that moment. Kitty flung herself down the stairs, her body flopping down the stairs like some kind of a fish and then finally hitting the concrete with a sickening thud.

Marley curled into a ball, biting her wrist in hopes of restraining the loud, desperate cry that was trapped inside of her. When she couldn't bear it anymore, she looked back up, and Kitty was lying at the base of the stairs. She wasn't moving. There was no blood. She hadn't been shot.

_She can't be dead, _Marley thought desperately, her stomach flipping and turning and churning wildly. She looked for any signs of life in the girl, and her horror and fears were mildly assuaged when she saw her hand and her lips moving in some sort of a desperate plea for help.

The man laughed again, growling, "Do what you want." He strode over to the still body of the girl and kicked her violently in the ribs. Marley averted her eyes and looked back again just in time to see the man striding towards the door, pulling out a key and screwing around with it, but he obviously lacked the patience to even try and get the lock to work. He looked around as if he were bored and fumbled with the key, finally getting it to open and stepping inside. He threw the gun on the ground, where it lay, presumably empty and terrifying. He let the door crash behind him.

_Not with a bang, but with a whimper. _


	13. Chapter Eleven

**I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter! Thanks for all of the lovely reviews. I really hope you guys like this. **

**Just so you know, Kitty is **_**not **_**dead. There was a little bit of confusion. She's not dead. Yet. Kidding. Maybe. I think I'm going crazy in this Glee hiatus. So anyways guys, what do you say? Two updates today because Christmas? Or two tomorrow? Decisions, decisions…..**

**Guys, I was actually planning on updating, like, _super _early today, but then my parents made me bike around the park like fifty times. Euuugh. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

THE DAY AFTER, 4:00 A.M.

It remained silent for a split second, the pounding of Marley's heart in her ears slowly prevailing and shattering the quiet. She swallowed, her eyelids fluttering, and stared in horror at the silent and unmoving body of Kitty Wilde. She looked around cautiously for another figure, another dark, hooded creature in a black hoodie that would maybe tear another part of her heart away. Finding nothing, she hurried towards the other girl's side, praying to whatever God might be listening that she was at least okay.

She reached Kitty in about two seconds flat and knelt down, desperately checking the shorter girl's neck for a pulse. Kitty's eyes fluttered open and she coughed feebly, moving her lips in some desperate attempt to speak. "M-Marley," she coughed out, her voice whisper-like and disappearing in her throat. She raised her head slightly to look at Marley, who lifted it gently, her looks drifting over her features desperately.

"Kitty," Marley said, tears creeping into her voice. "Are you okay?" She sat down on the concrete, her legs freezing. She bit her lip and inspected Kitty's broken form. She was most certainly _not _okay. Kitty moved her mouth, but Marley couldn't hear her.

"Head," Kitty mumbled, and her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped back onto the ground.

"Kitty!" Marley shrieked, looking around wildly as if she were looking for help. There was no one there, of course, just the wind and the moon and the endless night sky. "Wake up!" She felt her neck for a pulse. There it was, beating faintly but steadily, and Marley felt tears flow from her eyes in relief.

Kitty only responded, though, after repeated shaking by Marley, her eyes fluttering open and staring at her, dark and penetrating in the moonlight. Kitty sat up and her eyelids fluttered again, and Marley reached over quickly to support the blonde. Somehow, she managed to pull her into an upright position, and Marley supported her as they made their way towards the main exit.

The door there was locked as well. "Damn," Marley cursed, her voice taut and thin. "How do we get out?" She looked around for something to pry the door open with, and her eyes fell on the gun lying on the ground.

It was probably empty. Marley knew that. She also knew that it was incredibly dangerous. It was a weapon, for crying out loud. Easing Kitty onto the ground in front of the door, she crossed the courtyard quietly and picked up the pistol. It was heavy in her hands, heavier than it seemed, and it felt foreboding to even hold it.

Keeping her hands carefully away from the trigger, she crossed the courtyard again towards where Kitty sat, her eyes empty. Marley trained her eyes on the lock and stared at the gun, swallowing. It was their only chance, she knew that much. They couldn't be stuck out here all night with whatever brain damage Kitty had, in the freezing cold. They had to get at least back inside, if not out of the building.

"Get out of the way," Marley told Kitty, who nodded and tried to move. Sensing that she wasn't going to make it on her own, Marley put the gun down and helped her out of the space that was probably going to be filled with glass. She collapsed on the concrete behind Marley, who picked up the gun again and trained it on the door, focusing madly.

She began to pull the trigger back, bile rising in her throat. Was the view over a gun the same when you were shooting it at a person than when you were shooting it at a door? Would the bang still sound the same if she knew no one had died or gotten hurt?

She couldn't think about that. She could even think about the fact that the weapon she was holding in her cold little hands had probably killed. Maybe it had killed someone she had known. Maybe it had killed someone she had cared about. Hell, maybe it had even killed Jake, but it was the next shot that had her lowering the gun and choking back a sob.

Maybe it had killed her mother.

The fact that she was now wielding a murder weapon made her sick to her stomach. But wasn't it how you used something that determined if it was good or not? Marley shook her head venomously. Maybe this thing was going to do some good for once in its damn life. It was going to bust that door and save them.

Shaking and barely able to see, she blinked away her tears, her vision focusing again on the glass door. She could vaguely see her reflection in it, a scared little girl holding a gun, a wide-eyed look on her face. She almost hated her reflection in that moment. It was like Marley was training the gun on herself, ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

She swallowed again. _Clear your head, Marley Rose, _she thought. _Just shoot the damn lock and get over it before someone else gets here and you're really screwed. _She tried to keep her eyes locked on the door but failed, her vision drifting over to her reflection and Kitty behind her. _Do it for her, _the voice in her head urged, and Marley nodded. She could do this. "Shield your face," she called to Kitty, who weakly put her hands over it.

It was just a gun. Marley could ignore the instinctual fear of it, the countless warnings of so many of those police people that had come to her elementary school. _Never touch a gun, _they had repeated over and over and over again. _But what if it saves my life? _Marley thought quickly.

She pulled the trigger.

There was loud bang, and glass went flying everywhere. Marley shielded her face, but the glass cut into her forearms, making her grimace in pain. Stepping lightly towards the door, Marley saw that it was open. "Let's go," she pleaded to Kitty, and saw in horror that she was bleeding severely from her forehead. "Please."

Kitty coughed feebly, and Marley rushed over to her, wiping the blood from her face with her sleeve. She guided her over to the door and they stumbled through the hallways of the school, threading their way along their school, the one place they were supposed to be safe. Marley smiled bitterly. Irony was a bitch.

They finally reached the main entrance, the wide glass doors foreboding. Marley could faintly see the lights of police cars and ambulances outside. Had they been waiting there all this time? Why hadn't they come in?

They reached the door and Marley rattled at the handle. It was locked, of course it was. But couldn't the police have simply gotten in? She shook her head, her stomach churning. She'd never trust the police again, ever.

Without hesitating this time, she shot the lock. She didn't care. They would get out. Small shards of glass flew into her skin, but she didn't care. She didn't care. She was seeing red. Screaming in pain, she made her way through the door, collapsing on the front stairwell.

Someone came up to her and lifted her head. A paramedic. "Get a stretcher," he called to someone behind him, desperately. "We need to get her out of here."

"Kitty," Marley gasped, tears streaming down her face and mixing with the blood. "Get her first," she choked.

"We've got her," the man promised, and Marley began to full out sob.

"Thank you," she managed to get out, and then the world began to bend in alarming ways. Her world was a paper airplane, flying daintily over wind. Her world seemed to be a globe spun around and around by a young child, cackling and giggling as it unhinged itself.

She tried to stand but was restrained by one of the paramedics. She could vaguely see Kitty being brought into an ambulance, and her heart began to pound. She would be alright. She collapsed again onto the concrete, the asphalt beginning to stain red.

The red faded and everything turned to black.


	14. Chapter Twelve

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

**FIVE DAYS AFTER, 10:00 A.M.**

The still beeping of a heart monitor and white was the only thing that Marley could remember about that day. After they had been, well, rescued, for lack of a better word, everything had gone black. She woke up in a hospital bed, her wounds neatly stitched up and probably high on pain medication. Marley didn't care. Numbness was welcome. It was a beautiful, numb alternative of oblivion compared to the searing pain, both internal and external.

They hadn't let her see Kitty at all, hell, for the last three days, she hadn't been allowed to leave the hospital bed. They hadn't even told her exactly what happened to her mom, only that she was in intensive care and they didn't know if she'd make it.

Sometimes, Marley hated society, and that sometimes was becoming more often than not.

The day after that had been miserable. Questioning and questioning and no answers. Turning on the TV in her hospital room in the morning and seeing William McKinley High on the news, with 'mass shooting' scrolling around on the bottom. She had smashed her fist down on the remote so hard it had cracked in two. She didn't mind.

The newspaper was even worse. One of the nurses had been reading it and she left it on the chair. Marley reached over to it and opened it, seeing her school plastered on the front page.

_Mass Shooting at William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. _From what Marley had gathered from the article, it had been a group of graduates that thought the school had ruined their lives, obviously a bunch of psychopaths. It made Marley sick. They were terrible people, and if anyone deserved to burn in hell, it was them.

Someone knocked at the door and Marley straightened herself abruptly, wincing as the stitches tightened. She had already been administered her morning dose of pain medication, and she didn't know why anyone would want to visit. There was no one left who could visit—wait, that wasn't entirely true. Her mind began to mentally run through a list of people that might visit her.

_Kitty. _No, that certainly wasn't it. They wouldn't tell Marley exactly what was wrong with her, but from what she could gather, it was serious. She swallowed, her mouth beginning to go dry. She needed to see her soon or she would lose whatever tiny bit of sanity she had left.

_Her mother. _No. No. They had told her she was in intensive care. They didn't know if she would make it. Marley hadn't told them what she had heard from the shooters. She didn't want to. She didn't want to think about the few terrifying hours in which she had legitimately thought her mother had been dead.

_Jake. _The past few times she had thought of him, tears had begun to flow over Marley's face, but the grief etched into her soul had slowly started to numb. She had spent her supply of tears. She wouldn't cry anymore. But it couldn't be him.

_Ryder. _That was a possibility. She hadn't seen him, she hadn't heard anything from or about him~ but of course, that was most of the people in Glee or at school, so it wasn't like he was special. She wondered vaguely where they would go to school, if they would go to school, and if they did, what would happen to Glee club.

Sighing, she raised her head. "Come in," she called lifelessly, and wasn't surprised when it was the man who had questioned her a day or so ago. Or was it a day? She didn't remember.

"More questions?" She asked, sitting up quietly and groaning to herself. She wasn't in the mood to be poked and prodded like some puzzle piece that they were desperately trying to put into the right place.

"No, actually," the man said and sighed, sitting down on the chair that stood by the bed, for reasons unknown to Marley. She wasn't going to get any visitors except for him, what was the point? "I've come to talk to you about your mother."

Marley's stomach flipped and she stared at the man with a feared expression. This could go either way, it could be the reassurance that she was alright or a death sentence. "W-What about her?" She asked, cursing her voice for sounding so frightened, so much like she felt.

"She's going to live," the man said and a small smile played at the corner of his lips. Marley felt an enormous weight slip off of her shoulders, and apparently her supply of tears wasn't spent, because she felt a small one slip out of the corner of her eye. Her mother was going to live. She wasn't going to have to go through that horrific process of going through her parents' will. She wouldn't have to scramble to find somewhere to live, she wouldn't have to try and track her father done.

She would be alright, at least for a little while.

"Can I see her?" The words slipped out of her mouth before she even realized she wanted to say them. The man shook his head, and Marley bit her lip. "Why?" She asked, crossing her arms and staring straight ahead.

"She's in intensive care, no visitors now," he explained and sat back crossing his legs. Marley stayed silent. There had to be more. A nurse could have told her this much. "We also have news about your…." He paused and licked his lips, "Your friend."

"What about her?" Marley nearly choked out, she couldn't speak fast enough.

"She's going to be fine," he started, but Marley didn't want to relax. She had known this much from day two. There had to be some kind of a catch. And of course, Marley was right. "There might be some… damage, though. She hasn't woken up yet."

"She's in a coma?" Marley asked, panic rising in her voice.

"Medically induced," the man clarified, and stared at the floor with a grim expression. "She lost so much blood, her body had to compensate." Marley let the weight of what he had just said sink in before she realized what else he had said.

"What kind of damage?" Marley asked and swallowed, her throat going dry.

"Memory loss." The man said and looked pointedly at Marley, whose stomach erupted into something akin to butterflies. "Brain damage. She had a pretty severe concussion."

_You don't have to tell me this, _Marley thought venomously. _I was there, you idiot, I watched her fall. It was my fault. _

"Are you sure?" She asked. _Maybe it would be for the best, _something in her brain whispered, a quiet, vile little voice that made Marley want to scream. _You wouldn't have to deal with… you know. _Feelings. Marley loathed them.

"We're not sure yet at this point, but she's still unconscious and there's no telling of how much she'll remember when she wakes up," he said gravely and Marley stared down at her hands, saying nothing.

"I want to see her, then," Marley said when she found her voice again, and she looked up at the man. "Please."

"Do you really need to?" The man asked, adjusting his wire-framed glasses and sighing, pulling a pen out of his blazer pocket and clicking it a few times. The sound made Marley shudder. It was too much like the ticking of a clock.

"Yes," she said without hesitation, flicking her eyes over to meet the man's, her eyes determined and blazing with energy, or at least enough energy that she could summon up right now.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can arrange that," he said quietly, and Marley's heart leapt with joy. She would see Kitty, and memory loss or not, everything would be alright. It had to be alright.

She didn't know what she would do when she saw her. She didn't know how bad the injuries were, or how she looked like. And at that moment, she didn't even care, but she needed that confirmation that she was alive. She breathed for it, she lived for it.

Marley Rose had things to lose. She had her mother. She had Kitty Wilde.


	15. Chapter Thirteen

**Hello, lovelies. I hope you liked the last chapter. Anyways, this is the third to last chapter in this story. I know. Scary. Anyways, if you think I should write a sequel, please let me know in a review or something. Remember to do this if you think I should, because I won't do it if I don't think anyone'll read it. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

**FIVE DAYS AFTER, 11:14 A.M.**

An angel.

She looked like an angel, lying on the hospital bed so serenely. Her hair flowed around her shoulders in a halo, the waves gently cascading down and her eyes closed. Her hands were lying perfectly at her sides, and the still rise and fall of her stomach was obvious. She could've been sleeping.

Marley's eyes traced the subtle corners of her mouth and the gentle swooping lines of her face, the breathing aid in her nose nearly wrecking the picture. Marley swallowed. She looked so weak and helpless and vulnerable, and it made Marley want to cry. She had been crying too much lately. She would have to stop.

The quiet beeping of monitors brought Marley back to the present, and she blushed quickly after she realized she had been staring. She swallowed and sat down on a chair that had been set next to her bed, dismissing the nurse that had followed her into the room with a cold glare.

"I can't leave, it's protocol," the nurse replied with a sappy expression, and Marley rolled her eyes. She was _so _sick of authority figures right now.

"Give me a few minutes," she said coldly, and the nurse rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her. She turned back to Kitty's still figure, lying unmoving on a hospital bed and tears began to form dangerously fast in her eyes.

"Kitty," she whispered, and leaned forward on the edge of the chair, taking one of her strangely cold hands in her own and holding it. "Please talk to me."

But the girl stayed silent, and for a moment, Marley just about lost hope. But she would wake up, she knew that. The doctor had promised, and he kept his promises, or so she hoped. She would wake up and everything would be alright and if it were up to Marley, they could even go on as they had before this entire thing and it would be okay, as long as Kitty was fine.

"You know, I never really thanked you," Marley said quietly, looking down at Kitty's hand and the back up at her face. "F-For saving my life, in a way?" She said, but the statement was more of a question. "No," she said, staring to the side, wiping away a single tear that came across her face. "You did save my life."

She paused for a moment and smiled bitterly. Her greatest enemy had saved her life. She owed her, she owed her too much. "I found out what happened to the choir room," she said slowly, a tear trickling down her face. "I talked to some other people before I came in here." She had gone down to the hospital cafeteria and sat down next to Sugar, who seemed oddly pale and weak. Sugar had been one of the last ones to get out of the school the next day, and on her way outside, she saw that someone had shot a gigantic hole in the choir room door. Sugar had been so unlike her usual self, she had been tired and frail and weak and barely eating anything, picking at her food with a unenthusiastic air that was surprising for her.

"They shot a hole in the door," Marley informed Kitty, and she smiled wryly. "You were right. Of course you were right," she smiled and laughed breathlessly, tears flowing down her face. "They got in, eventually." She paused. "You were right," she repeated, this time slowly. "Goddamn it, of course you were." She began to gasp for breath and released Kitty's hand, where it hung limply by her side. "We would've been in serious trouble, you and I. It's a good thing we left…" her voice trailed off, and she looked up at Kitty, her expression blank and unmoving as ever.

"You need to wake up," she said, her voice cracking. "You need to, I-I don't know what I'll do if you don't wake up soon," _Or if you don't wake up at all. _"I've talked to a few people, most of them are here." She swallowed. "I-I've seen Sugar, and she told me that Sam and Ryder are okay. J-Jake isn't, of course, but it'll be fine. We'll be fine."

She didn't respond, and Marley shook her head desperately, her heart twisting violently around in her stomach.

"Kitty, you need to wake up, you need to remember," Marley pleaded, and all attempts of not crying were gone. She bit her fist desperately, a choked sob rising up in her throat. She looked disgusting, she probably did, but Marley Rose didn't care at this point. "I just need to tell you—when you're listening, of course—I just need to tell you thank you. For everything."

She paused for a moment, trying to find something to say. The doctor had said that talking to her would help. Marley wanted to help. She needed to help. "Your doctor said to talk to you," she said meekly, "but I don't know what about." She paused for another few seconds. "Your parents have been here a few times," she offered, not even truly looking at Kitty. "They-they're worried sick. Or so the doctor tells me." Her speech stopped abruptly. She hadn't ever spoken to Kitty's parents. She hadn't even seen them at all. Kitty had never told her about them, but Marley could guess their relationship wasn't too positive.

"Anyways," Marley took a deep breath and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I don't know what I'm going to do when you wake up." _I love you._ "Just make sure it happens. Please."

The heart monitor began to beep loudly, and Marley got up quickly in a panicked haze and the nurse strode in, knocking her rudely to the side. "What did you do?" She asked, looking at the monitor.

"N-Nothing," Marley stuttered. "I didn't press anything." The nurse pointed to the door and Marley nodded quickly, stepping outside and pressing herself against the wall.

The nurse pressed a button and almost immediately a doctor came rushing into the room, his look harried and irritated. "What happened?" He growled, and Marley stood outside the door listening.

"Heart monitor," she heard the nurse mutter, and there was strange mechanical beeping sound from the door. Marley closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to look.

"She's waking up," the doctor said, and Marley's heart began to flutter. The monitors began to beep like crazy, and Marley peeked around the doorframe.

Her view of the hospital bed was kind of obstructed by the doctor leaning over, obviously checking something. "Miss Wilde, we're going to need you to be calm," he instructed, and when he leaned back, Kitty's eyes were open.

Kitty's gaze flickered around, obviously disoriented. White. Lots of white. A doctor…? Kitty's mind slowly began to push the pieces together. Hospital. But why? She tried to remember everything. Last memory she had was..uh.. yes. Going to class. Something happened, something drastic. But what?

Shots. The choir room. The sight of brown hair and startlingly blue eyes. Marley Rose. But why would Marley Rose be connected to this in any way?

Memories began to flood Kitty's mind and her head felt sharp and strange. She shook it lightly, feeling it pounding. She remembered _everything, _and the memories hurt. Looking up slightly, she saw Marley standing in the doorway, her hair falling perfectly onto her shoulders and her eyes full of fear.

"Marley?" Kitty asked and blinked a couple of times, almost like Marley was a hallucination that she didn't want to disappear. Marley held a single finger up to her lips and Kitty seemed to understand, but it was too late.

The doctor whipped around and stared at Marley with an annoyed expression. "Get out of here," the doctor said, and Marley nodded, biting her lip and turning to go.

"No," Kitty said, and Marley stopped, turning around. "She-I need to talk to her." Her voice was rough and scratchy and hoarse.

The doctor sighed and waved her in, stepping towards the door. "Kitty?" Marley asked, tears leaking out of her eyes. She stepped towards the bed.

"H-Hi," Kitty said and erupted into a coughing fit.

"How much do you remember?" Marley asked quietly, staring at the ground awkwardly, not wanting to meet Kitty's eyes. There was an uncomfortable silence and Marley looked up, her gaze flickering and meeting Kitty's eyes directly. She smiled weakly and coughed, waving her hand vaguely through the air.

"Everything."


	16. Chapter Fourteen

**Thank you all so much. Some of your reviews brought tears to my eyes. New chapter today! This one takes place during the memorial ceremony for the victims. The funerals are separate. I hope you enjoy it. This is probably the second to last chapter. I can't believe it, this fic has gone by so fast. **

**The monologue quoted is by William Shakespeare from Macbeth, Act V, Scene V. I do not own it. It's Macbeth's last soliloquy, and I thought it was incredibly beautiful so I stuck it in. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

_Out, out, brief candle. _

_Life is but a walking shadow, _

_A poor player that struts his hour upon the stage _

_And then is heard no more. _

_It is a tale, told by an idiot, _

_Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. _

**-Macbeth, Act V, Scene V**

**A WEEK LATER**

The snow was crisp and clean against Marley's feet, and she shivered, buttoning up her coat another button and adjusting the green scarf against her steel gray coat. The air was crisp and cold against her skin, and she rubbed her nose lightly, hoping to make it thaw.

"Marley," she heard someone call, and Marley Rose whipped around, her light brown hair fanning around her face. She smiled weakly as she saw that it was Brittany, whose eyes seemed sad and strangely downcast.

"Hi, Britt," she said and smiled sadly at her friend, stopping in front of the church. Brittany smiled sadly and got out of her car, closely flanked by Santana.

"Hey, Marley," Santana said and walked over to her, the normally feisty girl more collected. She smiled quickly, the corners of her mouth barely upturning as she hugged Marley, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Is Quinn coming?" Marley asked quickly, knowing how much Kitty admired her.

"Yep," Santana said, and right on cue, another car pulled up and Quinn stepped out of it, followed by a shorter girl that Marley later learned was _the _Rachel Berry and flanked by a tall, lanky guy that was Kurt Hummel.

"I-Santana," Quinn said, obviously flustered. "Hi." She said and tried to smile, somehow failing.

"Hey, Q," Santana said and her hand rose to touch her cheek, quickly pulling it away again. "Hi, Berry, Kurt."

"Hi, Santana, Brittany," Rachel said and acknowledged each of them with a slight nod. She turned to Marley. "And you are…?"

"Marley Rose," Marley said quickly and took her outstretched hand, shaking it briefly before removing it and sticking it in her coat pocket.

"Right," Rachel said and Kurt nodded at her.

"It's nice to meet you," the boy said, and Marley nodded again weakly.

"I can't believe this happened," Quinn said dully, and Rachel patted her arm lightly and stared at the ground, biting her lip. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds before Rachel looked up again.

"She's been a nervous wreck," Rachel explained in a forced whisper.

"She came to New York as soon as she heard," Kurt explained further and nodded at Quinn, who didn't respond at all. Marley briefly wondered why she would feel guilty before remembering her position in high school.

She had been a stereotypical preppy blonde cheerleader, probably a bitch to every loser under the sun. Not too much a surprise that there might be some guilt there.

The shooters had, after all, been looking for redemption.

Santana took a shallow breath, but other than that, the group stayed silent. The screeching of tires could be heard by them and Sugar stepped out of the car, noticeably more pale and drawn. "Hi," she mumbled and stared weakly at the ground. Her mascara was already beginning to water, and Marley briefly thanked God that she had the sense not to put on any eye makeup.

"Hey, Sugar," Quinn said, still staring at the ground, and when she looked up, her eyes were red and watery.

"Who else is coming?" Rachel asked and bit her lip nervously. Her left foot pawed at the snow.

"Kitty should be," Marley said quickly, and Rachel furrowed her brow.

"Kitty?" She asked and looked around for an answer.

"Person I mentored at Thanksgiving," Quinn said and brushed a piece of hair away from her face.

Rachel made a face like she understood.

"I-Ryder and Sam are still under observation," Sugar said and shrugged. "So they won't be here. Tina's family is taking off for a few days."

They all knew about Artie. There was no way of not knowing. There was no point in not knowing.

Marley had found out the day before she left the hospital. She had found the newspaper and read the completed list of victims. There were too many familiar names.

_Artie Abrams. _The kind boy in the wheelchair with the ever-present smile.

_Joe Hart. _Marley had never really spoken to him much, but she remembered the quiet intensity he had about him and it made her head ache to think that it was all gone.

And finally the last one that she knew, the one that left a gaping hole in her heart, a hole of guilt and pain that left her holding back tears every single time she thought of him.

_Jake Puckerman. _

She hadn't seen his brother. She hadn't seen his mother, and she hoped to God she wouldn't have to face them today. No matter how many times anyone told her it wasn't her fault, Marley knew in her gut that it was. She hadn't done _anything. _She had restrained Kitty, who did want to do something. It was all her fault, and she let out a strangled cry. Sugar looked at her strangely, but Marley merely vaguely waved her hand and shook her head. Sugar nodded like she understood and turned back to the haltingly awkward conversation.

"Unique, Blaine, and Sam aren't coming," Marley heard Sugar say, and when she looked back, she was holding up her phone. "They don't want to." Unique. Marley had nearly forgotten about Unique. More guilt shot across her body and she shook her head again vigorously.

Finn appeared behind Rachel and tapped her shoulder. "Hey, Rachel," he said and attempted his large, boyish grin, but Rachel merely smiled weakly at him. An unfamiliar car pulled up about twenty feet away and the door opened. Marley furrowed her brow and looked at the door when it opened, and Kitty stepped out, her hair tumbling over her coat. She wore a bandage on her head and looked curiously at Marley.

"Kitty," Marley said and tried to smile, rushing toward the shorter girl. She paused. It was the first time they had seen each other since the hospital, and Marley wasn't sure where they stood.

She was ripped out of her thoughts by Kitty's arms and they embraced, Marley's heart beginning to flutter lightly. "Hey," Kitty whispered into her ear, and Marley let out a watery giggle.

"Hi," she replied as they pulled apart.

The church bell began to toll grimly. Marley swallowed and looked up at it, the bells ringing in her ears. "It's time," she remarked to Kitty, and she nodded, the startling mixture of colors in her eyes alight with tears.

Clutching Kitty's hand in her own and ignoring the stares of others, she stepped inside the church, the flames of the candles lit wavering and flickering in the light breeze from the outside. Marley lit her own and grimaced as the match blew out once, then tried again and failed. "Let me," Kitty said, and she successfully lit the candle. It blazed merrily—too merrily—next to the others and Marley watched it for a few seconds before going into the church.

Pushing deeper into the church, she sat down, looking at the line of portraits. She swallowed as her eyes traced over Artie, Joe, the countless faces she didn't recognize, and then finally Jakes'. Kitty stopped next to her and stared at the portrait and Marley sighed quietly. They were buried under the cold, hard ground in the cemetery, with flowers lying on their graves, weak reminders of the relationships they had had while they were still alive.

Marley became painfully aware of the thudding of her heart in her ribcage. It wasn't fair. Why should her heart be moving, pumping blood through her veins when Jake and Artie and Joe lay several feet underground, not moving, not breathing, not _living. _Why should she be painfully aware of the cold and the heat and all of her senses when they were numb to everything, pain, happiness, life?

It wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair. Death wasn't fair. Death was equal and terrifying, the deep, dark oblivion that every human ended up in eventually. Life wasn't equal. Life was far from it. Life was unfair and harsh and unforgiving, one mistake branding you a fool for your entire life or one fluke branding you good until your death.

People began to speak. "Great tragedy," Marley could make out.

"We will miss everyone dearly…" another person said, and Marley's heart began to constrict violently and she grimaced. _You know _nothing, she thought venomously.

"Lack of police communication," a uniformed man was saying with a bored look on his face like he didn't really care. Marley tuned them out, and eventually, their words blurred into some kind of a thoughtless haze. Their faces began to meld together in a blur of tears: grieving mothers, cousins, officials, people who were there out of principle, all of them became a streak of color against a monotone background.

Kitty leaned on Marley's shoulder, tears trickling down her cheeks and staining the fabric, but Marley didn't mind. Somehow, they made it through the service. Somehow, they even managed it without dissolving into pure grief, into pure self-loathing.

After the service, Marley turned to leave, sliding out of the pew. Kitty's hand on her arm stopped her, and she glanced wordlessly at the other girl, who stood up and grabbed her hand. "Walk with me," she whispered. "Please." Marley nodded.

They threaded their way through the leaving crowd and began to walk along the graveyard, the cold air biting into Marley's skin and making her shiver. They reached a small stone bench and Kitty sat down on it, brushing off the snow and motioning to Marley to do the same. The concrete was cold against Marley's thighs.

Entwining her fingers with the girl sitting next to her, Marley gazed down at her calm form, her eyes staring ahead, her lashes long and moist with tears. Her blonde hair curled perfectly and tumbled down her back in an effortless waterfall, framing her face. Marley preferred it to the harsh cheerleader ponytail. The ponytail was a reminder of brutal insults that weren't serious, of slushies and vomiting and cold insults.

Kitty turned and looked her directly in the eye, keeping her expression neutral. Marley bit her lip and looked away. "I never got to really thank you," Marley blurted out awkwardly, and looked back at Kitty. "I mean, I never got to thank you when you were…conscious," she explained awkwardly, her lip catching between her teeth and her breath hitching.

Every single one of her senses seemed to be on high alert. The wind picked up a bit and her hair began to blow around slightly. Birds were tweeting slightly, and the bright green of a few pine trees stood out against the bland snow. The wind stopped suddenly, and the entire world seemed to be holding its breath until Kitty broke the silence.

"You shouldn't thank me," Kitty muttered and looked directly at Marley, sending chills through her spine. Marley leaned on her knees with her elbows and Kitty did the same, mirroring her. They were so close, their noses were nearly touching, and Marley's breath hitched again, her heart swelling. She stared into Kitty's eyes, unblinking. Kitty's eyes were a strange but utterly beautiful color, her pupils wide. Marley's heart took off.

It was so easy, so natural for Marley to lean in and close the gap.


	17. Chapter Fifteen

**Last chapter, guys. There's a longer Author's Note at the bottom. For the sake of my canon, Kitty's full name is Katherine. **

**Summary: McKinley High goes on lockdown with Marley and Kitty stuck in the choir room together. Karley. **

**Characters: Marley R. and Kitty**

**Rating: T**

**ONE YEAR LATER, EXACTLY**

Marley was awakened by a loud, brusque tapping on her bedroom window and she clambered out of bed, rubbing her eyes. Kitty was standing out of her window, panic reflected in her features. "Marley," she mouthed, and Marley's jaw went slack. What was she doing here?

"Kitty," Marley said and opened her bedroom window, shivering as the cold air touched her skin.

"I couldn't sleep," Kitty said, her voice rough and full of tears. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she had obviously been crying. She climbed through the window and stood in her room, utterly broken and miserable. Pangs of pity shot through Marley's heart, and she walked forward and embraced the shorter girl, who clung to Marley as if desperate, crying.

"I keep on having these dreams," Kitty sobbed, and her breath came out harsh and ragged. "I-I can't, Marley."

"Shhh," Marley said gently and held onto Kitty, closing her eyes tightly, tears beginning to fall down her face. "Shh, Kitty, it's going to be alright."

"What if it isn't?" Kitty asked, and Marley felt her heart break at the question. "I-I just can't," Kitty said and abruptly let go of Marley, sinking down to the ground and burying her face in her hands.

Marley suddenly noticed the window was still open and closed it, sitting down next to Kitty. "I promise it'll be okay," she whispered.

"I just wish it could be," Kitty whispered back, staring straight ahead with a frightened expression on her face. "Sometimes, everything's okay, but then I-I remember that courtyard, or-or Jake," a fresh wave of tears overcame her, and she curled up miserably. "Everything comes flooding back and I-I just can't," she finished miserably in a harsh whisper.

Marley wrapped her arms around her, noticing that the girl was shaking. "We'll get over it, you and I. We'll get over it together."

Kitty didn't believe her. That much was obvious, but she remained silent, leaning against Marley and holding onto her as if she were her lifeline. Marley sighed and kissed the top of her forehead, closing her eyes as her lips came into contact with her skin. She seemed to be burning.

She pulled away and interlaced their fingers. Kitty's head dropped onto her shoulder, but Marley didn't mind. "I love you," she whispered, so quiet she could barely hear it.

"I love you too," Kitty whispered, so quietly it could have been the wind. Crouched next to her, Marley tried to convince herself it wasn't.

They stayed like that the entire night.

**SEVERAL YEARS LATER**

"That's, uh, quite the story you've got there," the plucky young newspaper reporter type fellow says and leans back the porch chair, crossing his legs.

"So I've been told," Marley Rose smiles mysteriously and laughs. "D'you want more tea?" She shifts her weight uncomfortably and motions vaguely to the teapot.

"Sure, sure," the man says and uncrosses his legs, the dark black of his business suit standing out dramatically against Marley's jeans and t-shirt. She pours him more tea, nearly cautious. Now that he thinks about it, she moves cautiously, as if she were afraid of something. He bites his lip. There are scars.

"Were you ever not sure that you were going to get out alive?" He asks before he can even stop himself, the words tumbling over his lips like a waterfall.

Marley freezes for a split second, her memories haunted by that fateful night in the choir room. "Only the entire time," she admits in a ragged whisper, her eyes seemingly far away. The man has the good sense not to respond and instead stares awkwardly at his teacup.

"So, what's this supposed to become?" Marley asks after she finishes pouring him tea. "Is it a book or something?"

"Oh, yes," the man says and waves vaguely with his hand through the air. "A documentary of sorts." He smiles, a sort of cocky, all-knowing smile.

"Right," Marley says, but she seems distracted and the man notices that she goes a bit stiff. "Interesting." She tries to smile but somehow fails, and the man bites his lip, not quite knowing how to react.

"Were you glad of the company you had at that time?" He asks and raises his eyebrows. _No doubt he's heard the stories, _Marley thinks, thinking of the countless articles written about the tragedy. Nearly every one of them mentions her in some way, Marley remembers bitterly, as the girl who shot her way out of school. _I didn't do it for fun, _she insists to herself.

"Glad?" Marley asks and she, too, raises her eyebrows. "It saved my life, if that's what you mean."

The man makes careful note of her statement on a pad, and for a moment, Marley is transported back to the first interview with the police man at the hospital, his pen scratching over an official-looking pad and documenting her words.

"I understand," the man says, as if the word is a key to her understanding and endless approval. _No, you don't, _Marley thinks with certain venom, biting her lip to keep from bursting the words out.

They stop talking for a split second. Marley begins to swing back on the porch swing, the creaking interrupting what would otherwise be an awkward silence. Her face is alight with sunlight and she is smiling lightly, biting her lip. Her legs dangle from the swing. She is like a child.

Suddenly, she clears her throat, and the man blinks a couple of times, his eyes going dry. His contacts are blurring, and he shakes his head lightly to try to produce tears. "How many people are you interviewing?" She asks, and when his vision is clear again, she is staring at him curiously.

"A few," he says and smiles, running a hand through his close-cropped blonde hair. "Mostly teachers and such."

Marley's heart thuds a few times as she remembers the horrific hours trapped in the choir room. "I see," she says lamely and looks at her watch. She's never gone anywhere without it ever since… that day. She can't handle not knowing what the time is, at all times. It's late, later than she thought it was. "Will you be interviewing me again sometime soon?" She tries to keep the edge of hope out of her voice. But it isn't hope she'll be seeing this man again, with his blue eyes that seem to cut into her soul and his needling questions.

The man obviously doesn't take it like that, and he leans forward slightly, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "I wasn't planning to," he confesses, and grins, leaning back and running his hand through his hair again. "But, if you want, we could get dinner?" He smiles and Marley smiles tightly in response, turning her face to the side.

"I'm engaged, actually," she says, exhaling, and the man's face turns a strange shade of red. She holds up her hand, the ring glinting in the sun and he curses himself for being an idiot and not noticing.

"Sorry," he stutters out, and Marley smiles a small smile.

"It's alright, really," she says and dismisses it with a casual wave of her hand. Of course it isn't, but she isn't going to tell him that.

"Sorry," he repeats, and the word seems to hang in some kind of lost netherworld.

_Who? _Marley can almost hear the unspoken word on his lips, in his throat. "She's coming home in a few minutes, if you'd like to meet her," she says, something, anything to break the silence.

"Sure," the man says, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

She checks her watch, the slight feeling of panic that she always gets whenever doesn't know the time fading away instantly. "Should be here soon," she says, and the man glances around nervously as if she's about to jump out and attack him.

Marley laughs lightly, and right on cue a car pulls up in the driveway, stopping. "There she is," Marley smiles, and the man stops momentarily to catch something he hadn't the first time. _She? _

The car door opens and a short blonde woman with long, flowing hair gets out, smiling. "I'm home," she calls, but stops when she sees him sitting on the porch, and her brow furrows in confusion.

The man turns his head and looks away briefly, and Marley and the blonde seemed to have a nonverbal exchange behind his back.

_What is he doing here? _

_I don't know….something. _

_How long has he been here? _

_Not long. _

_Seems like a prick. _

…

_What?_

_Whatever. Be nice. _

"It's nice to meet you," the man says, looking at something in the distance. When he turns back around, and he stands up and holds out a hand. "I'm Eric, Eric Saunders."

"Katherine Wilde," she says and smiles quickly, shaking his hand and sticking it back into her pocket.

"Katherine Wilde?" He asks, and she looks at him with a strange expression.

"That's me," she says with a hint of biting sarcasm, and Marley shoots her a look.

"Kitty?" He asks, and he almost can't believe it. She's stayed out of the media attention, keeping a low profile for the entire time. She's never given an official interview, but of course he knows who she is. She's one of the few who didn't get evacuated in the first two hours. She's one of the scarred ones.

She grimaces at hearing her old nickname spoken by the mouth of a complete stranger. "The one and only," she says, and this time, the biting sarcasm is much more than just a hint.

Something in his pocket beeps, and he pulls out his phone, checking it. "Ah, sorry, gotta run," he excuses himself, then briefly shakes Marley's hand again. "I'll keep in touch, Miss Rose." Then he's gone, his car roaring down the driveway and hopefully out of their lives.

"What was he here for?" Kitty asks a few minutes later, when they're sitting together on the porch swing, swinging steadily back and forth.

"He's writing a book," Marley says through her teeth, grimacing. "As if there hasn't been enough media attention already."

Kitty doesn't even need to ask what the book is about. Their lives have been a disturbing mixture of the downright normal and the downright terrifying. "He was such a prick," she says moodily, leaning her head on Marley's shoulder and closing her eyes.

"He was, kind of," Marley confesses and laughs nervously. "He asked me out."

Kitty's eyes fly open and she stares ahead with a troubled expression. "What'd you say?" She asks, trying to keep her tone of panic down.

"I told him I was engaged," Marley says pointedly, and Kitty noticeably relaxes. "What'd you think I said?" She asks, but it's a rhetorical question that isn't asking for an answer and they both know it.

"I know," Kitty says, and they stay silent for a few seconds, but it's a comfortable, relaxed silence. "I just…. I don't want there to be a book."

"I don't blame you," Marley scoffs and brushes a strand of hair away from her eyes. "I don't, either. You know it'll just be worse…" her voice trails off as she remembers the one-year anniversary. It was terrible.

"God, I hate the publicity," Kitty mutters and Marley chuckles.

"Don't we all," she mutters darkly and gets up, holding her hand out to Kitty, who takes it and grasps it firmly. "I love you," she says and smiles brightly, something akin to fire burning in her eyes.

Kitty stands up and kisses Marley, smiling. "I love you too," she whispers after she pulls away.

And this time, Marley is sure it's not the wind.

**Fin. **

**Thank you guys so, so much. I honestly couldn't have finished this without your support and lovely reviews. Thank you so much. **

**I'm still on the fence about whether I'll write a sequel or not, but it's most certainly a possibility. **

**That's really all there is to say. Thanks, again. **

**I'm definitely going to write more, but I want to write some Les Miserables stuff first. I hope you'll forgive me. **

**Yours, LeSlytherinPhoenix**


	18. Author's Note About Last Night's Ep

**Hey guys! **

**[SPOILERS AHEAD]**

**I've gotten several messages talking about the similarity of this fanfiction to last night's glee episode. I'm not quite sure what's going on, but if Glee ripped off my fanfiction, I guess I'm flattered. So, thanks to anyone who might've pointed it out. **

**I'm also curious as to whether there really were similarities-what do you think? **

**Thanks, LeSlytherinPhoenix**

**P.S. Stay tuned, I might work on some oneshots soon. **


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